Through Sam's Eyes: Heroes of the Storm
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: This is the second story in a three part series. Pontypandy's new fire station is built just in time to help save the townsfolk from a hurricane. But with Sam and Penny trapped in a cave, it's up to the two new firefighters to rely on Elvis' leadership to help them save others. Note: Since I'm Australian, I've used the UK version of the movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 1

Late one winter afternoon, inside the Pontypandy fire station, I was helping Penny and Elvis manage some leaks that were dripping from the ceiling in the garage. One might be forgiven for thinking that the leaks were caused by melting snow, but in fact the leaks were being caused by some damaged water pipes. I was very concerned, because I knew that our lovely old fire station was due to be decommissioned in just a few short months, but even I doubted it could last until the end of winter.

A few weeks earlier, I'd gone to Newtown with Station Officer Steele, for a meeting with HQ. They'd informed us of their plans to decommission the old fire station, and build a new one in its place. They'd even showed us some of their ideas for our new fire station. Looking at them reminded me of what the Pontypandy fire station had looked like when I'd first become a member of the team. Back in those days, the garage had only been large enough for Jupiter, but it hadn't needed to be any bigger, because Jupiter had been our only emergency vehicle. The building had also contained a kitchen/common room, Station Officer Steele's office and, upstairs, a quiet area for us to have a nap, if we needed it between jobs.

 _So much has changed since then though. There are even some firefighting methods I was taught back then that I wouldn't even dream of using today, because they're too dangerous. Funny how they weren't considered dangerous back then…_

Snapping back to the present moment, I watched as yet another drip fell into the saucepan in front of me. It was almost full. Just then, Elvis ran downstairs, carrying another empty saucepan. Between drips, he managed to replace the full saucepan with the empty one.

"Well done, Elvis," I praised, albeit tiredly. I hadn't had a very good night's sleep, because Radar had been howling at the moon for most of the night. _He was probably cold, so_ _perhaps I'll let him sleep inside my house tonight._

Standing up, Elvis scratched the back of his head. "Oh, dear! I'm running out of pans! I've got nothing to cook my spaghetti in."

"Don't worry, Elvis. We won't be here for much longer," Penny reminded him. Seeing a drip move along the ceiling, she kicked a bowl over so that the drip fell straight into it.

"It's still a while before the new fire station is built," I pointed out. "I just hope we have enough pans to last till then."

The others silently agreed with me. At that moment, we heard Mike Flood's voice as he emerged from Station Officer Steele's office.

"It's no good, Station Officer Steele," Mike was saying. Station Officer Steele and Chief Fire Officer Boyce followed him out of the office. "I've been tinkering with your flange joints all morning, and I'm afraid your pipes are just too old."

"And the roof needs replacing, and the floors are crooked…" Chief Fire Officer Boyce added.

Station Officer Steele glanced down at the floor. "Oh dear! Well, I suppose we can struggle through for a few more weeks."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce shook his finger at Station Officer Steele. "No! I'm sorry, Norris. I'm not sure we can struggle through a few more hours. For safety purposes, we're going to have to shut your fire station down tonight."

I was shocked, and so were the others.

"Tonight?" Penny exclaimed.

Clearly, we were all thinking the same thing – how on earth would we operate without a fire station?

"Keep calm, firefighters," Chief Fire Officer Boyce soothed. "We've got a Mobile Command Unit that you can use, while you're waiting for your new fire station to be built."

I was very much saddened by this news. I was not prepared to say goodbye to the old fire station so soon, but it appeared as though I would have to. "Be a shame to leave the old place, though," I mussed, expressing my thoughts aloud.

"I wonder if there'll be any emergencies on our last night?" Elvis said.

As Elvis was still speaking, the fax machine inside the office started beeping an alert. Station Officer Steele ran into his office.

"Looks like there might be," I said hopefully. I was glad, because an emergency would be a fitting end to the old fire station. Going out with a bang, as they say.

A few seconds later, the old heritage alarm that had served us well for so many years, began ringing. Then, Station Officer Steele announced the emergency over the loudspeakers.

" _Trevor Evans' bus is dangling over the edge of Pontypandy cliff, and it's full of passengers!_ "

I was already running over to the switch panel, in order to open the garage doors, before he'd even finished speaking. It wasn't the first time the bus had been left dangling over the edge of the cliffs, but my first thought was, _My family!_ I knew that my sister-in-law, Bronwyn, had decided to take my niece and nephew, Sarah and James, shopping in Newtown. No doubt there would be others on board as well, but my first and most natural instinct was to save my family. However, I also knew that as lead fireman, I was responsible for the welfare of all passengers on board, as well as for the welfare of my colleagues. I thought fast as I pulled the switch to open the garage doors.

"Penny, Elvis, you take Venus. I'll go ahead on Mercury."

After Penny and Elvis had put on their helmets, they climbed inside Venus. As usual, Penny was drove her. I pulled on my quadbike helmet before I dashed outside through the backdoor. The air was freezing outside due to the snow, but that was the least of my concerns. Adrenalin coursed through my body as I leapt aboard Mercury and started her up. Seconds later, I drove Mercury down the driveway, followed closely by Penny and Elvis in Venus.

With sirens blaring and lights flashing on the vehicles, we made our way as quickly and as safely as we could along the snow-covered roads towards the cliffs. In my mind, I ran through all the possible scenarios that could happen with this kind of emergency, and how I would deal with each situation. Years of experience had taught me how to do that, and now it all just came instinctively. I could only hope that everyone had managed to safely get out of the bus before we got there. Knowing Trevor as well as I did, I was sure he'd keep everyone calm.

As we approached the cliffs, I saw Norman's pet lamb, Lambykins, digging in the snow beside the road. I did my best to avoid her, and I made a mental note to ensue she got back to her field later.

When we arrived at the scene, I took one look at Trevor's bus in its precarious position, and I immediately felt sick. Everyone was still on board! However, seeing that the bus was almost at its tipping point, I knew we didn't have a moment to lose. I turned off Mercury's engine, before I ran over to Venus. There was only one thing I could do in this situation. I grabbed Venus' tow winch.

"Elvis, come with me!" I instructed. "Penny, I need you to stay at the wheel."

"Roger that, Sam," Elvis and Penny replied in unison as Elvis got out of Venus.

Carrying the tow cable's hook in my hands, I ran towards Trevor's bus. It was starting to fall, and I could hear everyone screaming inside. I know I would only get one chance to save them.

Jumping into the air, I somehow managed to catch the tow cable's hook in the bus's front tow ring. I landed heavily on my stomach, but the soft snow padded my landing, and I was able to roll myself clear of the bus. Standing up, I saw that the bus's descent had been stopped, for now. I knew that Venus would not be able to hold the bus for long.

"Back her up, Penny!" I ordered desperately.

Penny tried to reverse Venus, but as I suspected, Venus didn't have the weight or the engine power to pull the bus back up.

"She can't take the weight!" Penny informed me, confirming what I already knew, so I turned my attention to getting the passengers to safety.

"Elvis, get ready to move the passengers clear," I instructed, pointing to a safe place on the far side of Mercury.

Taking off my quadbike helmet, I opened the bus's door. My friends and family looked absolutely terrified, but I knew there was no time to try and reassure them. I needed to give my instructions clearly, so there'd be no misunderstandings.

"I want you all to move towards the door, very carefully," I instructed.

Sarah and James came towards me first. I quickly lifted them down, followed by Mandy and Norman. With the kids now safe, I turned my attention to the adults.

"That's it," I encouraged as Bronwyn and Helen stepped out of the bus. "Keep coming!"

"Stand clear, everyone," Elvis instructed the children. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."

As I helped Trevor off the bus, he pointed towards the back seats. "Dilys is still inside. She's too scared to move!"

I looked inside at Dilys. Sure enough, the poor woman was gripping the back of the seat in front of her, shivering with fear. _This isn't a good time for you to freeze, Dilys,_ I thought. But after all the times I'd rescued her, I knew that the best way to snap her out of it was by talking gently to her.

"Come on, mum!" Norman shouted from outside.

"I can't look!" Dilys replied. "I'm too frightened."

The winch creaked, and I knew that the bus was about to go over the edge. Sure enough, some rocks supporting the bus gave way, and it slipped even further over the edge. Turning, I grabbed my quadbike helmet. I knew I had no choice but to go inside, and the helmet might just be enough to save my life if the bus fell while I was still inside.

"Keep her steady, Penny!" I ordered. "I'm going in!"

I entered the bus before I heard her reply. I had to hang onto the railings to keep my balance as I moved cautiously towards the back of the bus. The bus shifted under my weight, and Dilys screamed as she let go of the seat in front of her.

"Keep calm," I soothed. "I've got you, Dilys…"

Seeing me, Dilys grabbed my outstretched hand. "Oh, no!" she yelped as the bus shifted again.

"Come on, Dilys," I encouraged as I pulled her towards the door. "Quickly!"

I nearly pushed Dilys out of the door as the bus shook again. As soon as I saw that Dilys was safe, I leapt out of the bus, summersaulting myself clear of the vehicle. Everyone cheered as Dilys was reunited with Norman, but I knew the danger wasn't over yet. Trevor's bus was almost over the edge now, and if we didn't act quickly, it would take Venus and Penny with it.

"I can't stop it, Sam!" Penny shouted anxiously.

"Elvis! Get the wire cutters!" I ordered, and he promptly ran over to Mercury. "Stand back, everyone!"

With the passengers a safe distance away, I ran over to Venus, and I tried to get a grip on the winch cable. Trevor's bus was definitely going over the edge. There was nothing we could do to save it now.

Venus, Penny and I were getting dragged closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, when Elvis appeared right behind me.

"Sam!" he shouted as he held out the wire cutters.

Grabbing the wire cutters, I used them to cut the winch cable. "Uh!" I exclaimed, due to the physical effort I'd just put my hand through to cut the cable. Venus braked abruptly, and a deathly silence filled the air as Trevor's bus finally fell over the edge. Seconds later, an almighty crash was heard as the bus landed at the bottom of the cliff.

"My bus!" Trevor whimpered sadly.

Standing up, I removed my quadbike helmet with a relieved sigh. Penny rested her forehead on Venus' steering wheel, clearly also very relieved.

"Just another day in Pontypandy," I said, trying to lighten the mood. But, deep down, I knew that it wasn't. Nothing would ever be the same again. A shiver ran through my entire body, but I ignored it. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I approached the passengers. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think so," Helen replied. "At worst, we're just a bit shaken."

"Right, well, I'm afraid we won't be able to give you a lift back to Pontypandy this time…"

I let the sentence hang. I was starting to feel quite dizzy, and I couldn't stop shivering. I knew I was going into shock, but I didn't want to admit that to anyone. It would only make them worry. However, Helen, being the nurse that she was, noticed that something was wrong as soon as I started hyperventilating.

"Sam? I think you'd better go and sit inside Venus," she told me firmly.

"No, I'm fine," I muttered feebly. I'd just taken a step towards Mercury, when my vision clouded over and I felt myself falling forwards.

"Sam!" I heard Elvis shout in alarm, but then everything faded away into nothing.

 **Hehe! Cliffhanger! You're all going to hate me for that, I know! But, anyway, please let me know what you think, and I'll keep writing more.**

 **Spoiler alert - the next chapter explains the reason while I'll never put Sam and Penny into a relationship, and why nobody else should either (only my opinion though. Nothing personal against anyone who does put them together). I'll explain my reasoning for this after the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 2

"Sam? Sam? Can you hear me?"

Bronwyn's soothing voice penetrated through the fog in my head. She sounded so far away. I tried to ignore it. I felt so comfortable in the darkness, despite the cold air around me…

"Mum! Do something!" I heard Mandy exclaim.

"Do you have a first-aid kit?" Helen's voice sounded so far away.

"Of course!" Penny replied. "I'll just go and get it for you."

"Stand back, everyone!" Helen instructed. "I know you're all concerned, but the best thing you can do right now is to not crowd him, so he can get plenty of air."

Helen knelt in the snow beside me, and she gently touched my cheek with her hand. "He's freezing! Bring a blanket too, Penny! Elvis, help me get him into the recovery position."

"Okay!"

I felt Helen and Elvis carefully roll me onto my side.

"I hope Uncle Sam will be okay," I heard James say, just as I shivered violently.

"Hurry with that blanket, Penny!" Helen called urgently.

I heard Penny's soft footfalls in the snow as she ran over to us. Then, I felt her and Elvis wrap the blanket around me. I groaned softly.

"I think he's waking up," Elvis said hopefully.

"I think so too, Elvis," Helen agreed. "Sam? If you can hear me, I want you to try and move your fingers."

I slowly pulled the fingers of my left hand into a fist. With another groan, I blinked open my eyes, and I looked around.

We were still out on the cliffs. Judging from the light, I guessed that I hadn't been unconscious for long. Maybe about ten or fifteen seconds at the most. Feeling my strength returning to me, I attempted to sit up, but Helen promptly pushed me back down again by my shoulders.

"No, Sam! I know you're cold, but you haven't recovered enough to stand up yet."

"Can't I at least sit up?" I argued.

Upon hearing my voice, a collective sigh of relief arose from everyone.

"Oh, thank goodness! He's going to be all right!" Dilys exclaimed.

"He's not out of the woods just yet, Dilys," Penny said.

I attempted to sit up again, and this time, Helen let me.

"Put your head down between your knees, Sam," Helen instructed. "As soon as you're no longer feeling dizzy, we'll get you over to Venus."

I did as I was told, and Helen adjusted the blanket over my shoulders. My thoughts turned to how we'd get everyone back to Pontypandy. "Elvis, you'll have to drive Mercury back," I muttered.

"Never mind about Mercury!" Helen scolded me.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to get you all home," I retorted.

Helen looked up at Penny and Elvis. "Who's next in charge after Sam?"

"I am," Penny replied. She knelt in front of me, and she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sam? I can ensure that everyone gets home safely."

I nodded. "Yes. I know you can, Penny. Is everyone okay though?"

"Everyone's fine, Sam, thanks to you," Penny assured me. "You got everyone out safely. Only the bus was lost."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Okay then. You're in charge now, Penny."

I didn't like having to relinquish my authority, but I knew that the safety of the public was far more important than my own pride.

Penny went over to Venus to radio for help. I didn't bother trying to listen to what she was saying. Looking up, I saw the worried faces on Sarah, James, Mandy and Norman. Not wanting to upset them further, I cast them a reassuring smile.

"Helen?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"Can I talk to the kids, please? I just want to reassure them."

"Of course. That's a good idea," Helen agreed. "Sarah, James, Norman and Mandy? Come over here. Fireman Sam wants to talk to you."

The children ran over to me. Sarah and James put their arms around me in a tight hug.

"We were really worried about you, Uncle Sam!" James sniffled.

"Why did you fall over?" Norman wondered.

 _I'm going to have to be really careful about what I tell them…_ "It's nothing, kids. I just have a tendency to faint during extremely stressful situations." I looked at Sarah and James. "Do you remember the time when I was helping Penny with her garden, and the ground opened up beneath me?"

My niece and nephew nodded. Mandy gasped.

"Do you remember what happened after Station Officer Steele and Elvis pulled me out?"

"You fainted," Sarah replied.

"Exactly. But I recovered from that, and I'll recover from this in no time. Providing I don't catch a cold first."

Helen placed a hand on my shoulder. "Point taken, Sam. Let's get you over to Venus now."

With Helen's help, I got to my feet. She escorted me over to Venus, and I climbed in through the passenger side. Feeling the warmth of the heater, I held my gloved hands in front of the vents.

Before long, I saw Mike arrive in his van to pick up Helen and Mandy, followed shortly afterwards by Tom in the 4x4, to collect everyone else. I smiled, knowing that Penny had done exactly what I would've have done.

As soon as she'd ensured that everyone had a ride, Penny climbed into Venus' driver's seat, and she closed the door.

"How are you feeling now, Sam?"

"Warmer," I replied.

Penny smiled. "That's good. You had us worried for a moment."

During the drive back to Pontypandy, I couldn't help but notice Penny glancing at me every so often. Finally, I decided to find out why.

"What? Do I have snow in my hair?"

Penny gaped. "No! Sorry, I didn't mean to keep looking at you like that. I've just been thinking about how…erm…h-how…handsome you looked when you were unconscious."

Feeling the colour rise in my cheeks, I turned my head to look out the side window. "Penny, I-"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Penny quickly apologised.

I took a deep breath. "That's okay. But, that is exactly why I've never asked you out."

"I can't believe we're having this conversation," Penny muttered under her breath.

I wasn't sure if I'd heard her correctly. "What was that?"

Penny thumped the steering wheel with her left hand, venting her frustration. "I know we've never said this to each other, Sam, but both you and I know that, if it wasn't for our careers, we'd probably be married by now."

"That's true. But we're not, because we can't let personal feelings block our judgement during emergencies. Like what happened just now. If we'd been married, I would've insisted on Elvis driving Venus, while I secured the winch, because I wouldn't have wanted you to be in any danger."

"And then I would've argued with you, because you would've been stopping me from doing my job."

"And then during our argument, Trevor's bus would've…" I let the sentence hang, knowing I didn't need to finish it. I sighed tiredly. "I guess the only way we could be a couple would be if one of us left the fire service."

"And since that's never going to happen, we'll be much happier if we remain as colleagues and friends," Penny finished.

We smiled at each other in silent agreement. At that moment, the radio crackled to life, and Station Officer Steele's voice sounded through the speakers.

" _Station Officer Steele to_ _Fireman Sam. What's the situation? Over._ "

Picking up the handset, I brought it up to my mouth. "Fireman Sam to Station Officer Steele. All passengers are safe and well, and we're making our way back to Pontypandy now, over."

" _Excellent! You can fill me in with the details when you get back. Out._ "

I put the handset back in its slot. "You might have to do most of the talking, Penny. I'm exhausted!"

"I'm not surprised! The way you leapt into the air to attach the winch was incredible! I'm surprised you didn't hurt yourself."

"The snow was nice and soft. It was very easy to roll on, although I'm sure I'll pay for it tomorrow." I rubbed my right shoulder, which was already starting to stiffen up.

Penny chuckled. "I know the cure for that! I nice hot shower, and some ginger tea."

I smiled, knowing that Penny was right. I know we make firefighting look so easy, but the physical strength it takes on us each day means that we usually end up collapsing into bed every night.

Upon our arrival back at the fire station, we found Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Station Officer Steele waiting for us outside the office. As I climbed out of Venus, I saw Station Officer Steele's jaw drop in surprise.

"Why didn't you ride Mercury back, Sam?"

Penny jumped in before I could even draw in a breath. "Sam collapsed from shock after the rescue, sir. Nurse Flood looked after him, and she said he'll be fine, but he does need to rest."

I discreetly rolled my eyes. _Thank you, mother._

"Oh! Well, in that case, Sam, I think you'd better go home now," Station Officer Steele decided. "Penny and Elvis can give me a full report on the rescue."

For once, I wasn't prepared to argue. "Very well, sir. I'll see you tomorrow then."

I'd just turned to go, when Chief Fire Officer Boyce cleared his throat. "Uh, Norris, haven't you forgotten something?"

"Oh, yes… Uh, Sam?"

I turned back around. "Yes, sir?"

"I'll need you and Elvis here early tomorrow morning. You're to go to Newtown in Venus, to collect the Mobile Command Unit. You'll have to drive it, since you and I are the only ones qualified to drive such a large vehicle."

"I see…"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, sir," Penny interjected. "I mean, just because Nurse Flood said he'd be okay, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be okay to drive tomorrow."

"Oh, dear!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce exclaimed. "I see what you mean, Firefighter Morris."

"I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow, sir," I insisted. "I'm not silly enough to get behind the wheel if I'm not feeling up to it. But, if it'll help to calm Penny's concerns, I'm happy for Nurse Flood to check up on me again in the morning."

Both of my superior officers nodded in unison. With that sorted, I bade them goodnight, and then I headed on home.

 **So, now you know why I'll never put Sam and Penny together in a relationship. It's a sad reality, but it is extremely rare to find married couples working alongside each other in the emergency services.**

 **On a happier note, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating with your friends and family.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 3

 _Ring! Ring! Ring!_

 _Bark! Bark! Bark!_

With a heavy groan, I woke up, wondering why my alarm clock was going off so early. Then I realised, it wasn't the alarm clock. It was my mobile phone.

"Radar!" I shouted as I reached over to my bedside table to grab my phone. "Be quiet!"

Radar obediently settled down. I tried to grab my phone, but instead I accidentally knocked it off. It landed on the floor, still ringing, with a heavy 'thud!'. Leaning over the edge of my bed, I fished around on the floor for the wretched thing. Once I had it, I pressed the green button to answer it.

"Hello?" I muttered groggily.

" _Sam? Where on earth are you? You're late!_ "

I immediately woke up properly when I heard Station Officer Steele's angry voice on the other end. I glanced at the clock. It was eight-forty. _I was supposed to be there at eight-thirty this morning, wasn't I? Oops!_ "Sorry, sir. I'll be there in ten minutes."

" _Make it five!_ " Station Officer Steele snapped. I hung up the phone.

 _Great fires of London! He's sounds as though he got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning!_

From his place on the rug in front of the fireplace, Radar whined hungrily. Sighing heavily, I got up.

"All right, Radar. I'll just get changed, and then I'll give you your breakfast."

…

Exactly five minutes later, I knocked on the door of Station Officer Steele's office.

"Come in!"

I entered the room, fully prepared for a verbal scolding I was sure I'd get for being late. Technically, I wasn't late though. On any normal day, my shift wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes, but this wasn't a normal day.

Station Officer Steele leapt to his feet as soon as I entered the room. "Fireman Jones! When I order you to come in early, I expect you to be here on time!"

I winced. The fact that he'd addressed me formally meant that I was in his bad books today. Usually, the only time I'm called 'Fireman Jones', which is my correct title, is when I'm performing formal duties or exams. When Station Officer Steele used it in this manner, it was like a parent addressing their child by their full name for a scolding.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was so tired last night that I forgot to set my alarm properly," I calmly explained. "If it helps, I'm now fully rested and I'm reporting for duty, sir."

Station Officer Steele sat back down at his desk. "Oh, yes. I forgot that you went into shock yesterday," he muttered in a quieter tone. "Are you feeling capable of driving the Mobile Command Unit from Newtown today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm… Well, I still think that Helen should examine you first, just to be on the safe side. We need to take good care of the Mobile Command Unit, since it isn't ours. We're only borrowing it from the Newtown Rapid Response Team until our new fire station is finished."

"Understood, sir. Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Station Officer Steele pointed to several stacked boxes near the office door. "Those have to go to Newtown for storage. We'll get them back once the new fire station is finished."

"Okay. I'll do that as soon as I've had my breakfast, sir."

Station Officer Steele picked up his mobile phone. "And I'll call Helen."

Assuming I was dismissed, I left the office. As I closed the door, I heard the landline phone ring. Station Officer Steele answered it promptly.

"Yes, Chief Fire Officer Boyce, I know it's you! We can't move anything until the Mobile Command Unit gets here, and Sam's running late!"

I closed the door a little more forcefully that I intended. Just then, Penny ran over to me.

"Oh, Sam! You haven't been in there, have you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. What's happened to him this morning? I've never seen him so fired up!"

"Chief Fire Officer Boyce has been phoning him every ten minutes since six o'clock this morning. He's trying to ensure Station Officer Steele doesn't forget anything during the move. Sorry I didn't catch you before you went in there. I wanted to warn you first."

"Don't worry about it, Penny. He's an excellent alarm clock!"

Penny looked surprised by that statement, but she let the matter drop. Together, we headed upstairs.

"So, how are you feeling this morning, then?"

"A hundred percent better, although Station Officer Steele isn't convinced. He's phoning Helen now."

Penny lowered her voice as we reached the top of the stairs. "Uh, Sam…? About what we said yesterday…"

"Don't worry, Penny. What is said in Venus, stays in Venus. And Jupiter too, for that matter."

Reassured, Penny smiled. "Right then! Let's see what Elvis is cooking up for our final breakfast in the old fire station."

As soon as I opened the kitchen door, a cloud of smoke wafted into my face, making me stagger backwards. Then the smoke alarm went off.

"Not again, Elvis!" I exclaimed as I ran into the room. Penny followed me.

The source of the fire wasn't difficult to find. It was the toaster. Again! Elvis was already unplugging the cord, so I grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher. Within seconds the fire was out.

"I'm sorry, Sam!" Elvis exclaimed. "I was trying to make a full English breakfast for us, but I've burned everything!"

"I hope you'll be more careful once our new fire station's been built," Penny admonished, crossing her arms to try and get the point across.

At that moment, Station Officer Steele burst into the kitchen. "What the? CRIDDLINGTON!"

"Oh, 'eck!" Elvis muttered sheepishly.

"Criddlington, I know this fire station is due to be demolished very soon, but I'd rather see it bulldozed than burned!"

"Sorry, sir."

"Never mind, Elvis," I said as I put the fire extinguisher down. "We'll pick up some breakfast on our way to Newtown. Now, why don't you help me load those boxes into Venus?"

"Okay," Elvis agreed.

A short while later, Elvis and I had almost finished loading the boxes into Venus, when Helen arrived. I went straight over to her.

"Let's get this over with quickly, Helen," I said quietly. "Station Officer Steele's on the warpath today."

"So I gathered when he phoned me," Helen replied. "Now, where should we do this?"

"You'll do it in my office," Station Officer Steele said firmly behind me. "And hurry! Chief Fire Officer Boyce is waiting for you, Sam!"

I frowned and rolled my eyes. "I hope I pass," I whispered to Helen. "Who knows what he'll say if I don't?"

Helen chuckled. "Don't worry, Sam. From what I can already see, you're fit to drive. Come on. Let's hurry up, so that Station Officer Steele doesn't have another excuse to snap at us."

I followed Helen inside Station Officer Steele's office.

 **Since this chapter is so short, I've decided to give everyone a Christmas present by uploading Chapter 4 tonight as well. It will be uploaded shortly. Again, Merry Christmas everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 4

Half an hour later, Elvis and I were travelling in Venus down the snow-covered, narrow country road towards Newtown. Even though Helen had cleared me to drive, I'd let Elvis drive Venus, out of compassion for his earlier incident in the kitchen. Since the two of us were now in Station Officer Steele's bad book for the day, we were actually quite glad to be going to Newtown.

I took another croissant out of the bag of bread we'd purchased from Dilys' shop on our way out of Pontypandy. I knew it wasn't much of a breakfast, but it was the best we could do on such short notice.

Elvis sighed despondently. "I'm sorry I nearly burned down the old fire station, Sam."

"It was just a toaster fire, Elvis."

"I know, but maybe I shouldn't cook in the new fire station. I might burn it down."

"You just need to pay more attention to what you're doing. Like now! Look out, Elvis!"

Alarmed, Elvis swerved sharply as he applied the brakes. Venus skidded to a stop near a field gate, but not before she'd scrapped her front right mud guard against the stone wall that lined the road.

As soon as we'd come to a stop, Elvis and I breathed sighs of relief. Then, we heard a sheep bleating.

"Lambykins!" I exclaimed as I leapt out of Venus.

Elvis also got out, and he began to examine Venus, while I rounded up Lambykins. "Oh, no, Venus! What have I done to you?"

"It's just a dent, Elvis," I retorted as I made a grab for the stray lamb. Lambykins darted away, running back down the road towards Venus. "Grab her, Elvis!"

Elvis made a dive for Lambykins. Somehow, he managed to grab her by her back legs.

"Got her!"

"Good job, Elvis!"

I grabbed Lambykins around the waist, and I picked her up. Elvis scrambled to his feet, brushing the snow off his uniform.

"Thanks, Sam! I'm glad I didn't hit her."

"I wonder if she caused Trevor's bus to skid off the road yesterday," I said as I carried Lambykins over to the gate. I frowned when I saw the catch. "No wonder she got out! Someone didn't secure this gate properly! I hope Woolley hasn't gotten out as well."

I put Lambykins back in her field, ensuring I locked the gate properly. I then took a closer look at Venus.

"Yes, it's just a dent and a few scratches, Elvis. Joe will easily be able to fix her. Come on. We need to get to Newtown before they decide to send out a search party."

We got back inside Venus, and we continued on our way. About fifteen minutes later, we finally arrived in Newtown without suffering any further delays. Elvis drove straight to the fire station on the far side of town.

Unsurprisingly, the Newtown fire station and training academy was much larger than our own little fire station, but we'd both been there many times before, so we weren't over-awed by the size it had grown to over the years. The main building had eight bays for emergency vehicles, and it had four levels for the crew. It was also completely modern, and fully equipped with the latest gadgets and equipment.

"I wonder if our new fire station is going to look like the Newtown fire station," Elvis said as he drove up the driveway.

"Well, it will have all the latest equipment, just like Newtown" I replied. The fire station's final design was still a secret, even from me.

Once Elvis had parked Venus out of the way, we got out, just as thirty trainee firefighters marched past us in formation. They were doing drill and march training.

"I'm so glad we don't have to do that anymore!" I said to Elvis with a small chuckle. "Now, where's Chief Fire Officer Boyce?"

I started to walk towards the building. Elvis followed me. I was just about to open the front door, when two firemen emerged.

"Hi," I said. "We were just wondering if you could tell us where Chief Fire Officer Boyce is, please?"

"I think he's in his office," one of the firemen replied. He pointed inside the building. "It's just down that hallway on the right."

"Great! Thank you."

A moment later, I knocked on the door of Chief Fire Officer Boyce's office.

"Come in!"

I entered the room, followed by Elvis, who closed the door behind him. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was sitting at his computer, but he looked up as we entered.

"Ah! Fireman Sam and, er, Criddlington… You're late! I was expecting you here an hour ago."

"Sorry, sir," I apologised. "We've been met with nothing but delays this morning. Would you like an itemised report?"

"There's no need to be cheeky, Fireman Jones," Chief Fire Officer Boyce scolded as he stood up.

 _Great! Now I'm in his bad books as well!_

"I apologise, sir," I said sincerely.

"That's better! Now, I understand you have some boxes that need to be stored here, correct?"

"Yes, sir!" Elvis and I said in unison.

"Right, well, go and fetch them. We'll store them in our archives until your new fire station has been built. I do hope the boxes are clearly marked."

"They are, sir," I confirmed. "Station Officer Steele made sure of it."

"Excellent! Well, the archives are in an office upstairs. You won't miss it, because there's a big sign on the door."

"Thank you, sir."

Over the next fifteen minutes, Elvis and I transferred the boxes from Venus into the archives upstairs. During one trip I made back to Venus to collect another box, a group of four trainees approached me.

"Are you one of the visiting firefighters from the Pontypandy fire station?" one of the male trainees asked me.

"Yes," I replied. "In fact, I'm the lead fireman there."

A small, dark girl raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Don't tell me you're THE Fireman Sam?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "Um, yes, as a matter of fact…"

The trainees looked star struck. Then, they all started talking at once.

"Is it really true that you've got six Bravery Awards?"

"Where did you do your basic training?"

"What's the scariest rescue you've ever done?"

"How many rescues have you actually done?"

"What's your favourite type of rescue?"

"Can you remember what your very first rescue was?"

"What do you do when you're not on duty?"

Totally overwhelmed by the bombardment of questions, I started to back away towards Venus for protection.

Just then, Elvis ran over to me. "Oh, Sam! Chief Fire Officer Boyce wants to see you around the back, so he can show you around the Mobile Command Unit. I can finish shifting those boxes."

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Elvis! These trainees were just about to tear me apart!_ "Okay then, Elvis."

But before I could make my way inside the building to safety, my radio crackled into life. I quickly removed it from my pocket.

" _Station Officer Steele to Fireman Sam. Come in, please._ "

"Reading you, sir," I replied, speaking into the handset. The trainees watched on, gobsmacked. I started walking around the back of the fire station, hoping they'd stop annoying me very soon.

" _Have you arrived in Newtown yet?_ "

"Yes sir. Elvis is just finishing unloading the boxes now, and I'm about to be shown around the Mobile Command Unit."

" _Good. Let me know when you're about to leave_."

"Will do, sir. Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for Woolley, sir. Lambykins got out of her field, and since the gate was unlatched, Woolley might have escaped too."

" _Okay, Sam. Thanks for the warning._ "

"And, I'm afraid Venus is going to require some minor repairs, sir."

" _Why? What happened?_ "

"I'll explain when we get back to Pontypandy, sir."

" _Very well then. Out._ "

Slipping the radio back into my pocket, I sensed that I was still being followed. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the four trainees following me at a discreet distance. I smiled to myself as I continued walking.

 _I guess Chief Fire Officer Boyce has talked about me so much to them that they now idolise me like a celebrity, or something. I'll have to have a word with him about that…_

Turning a corner, I came face-to-face with the Mobile Command Unit for the very first time. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was standing proudly next to it.

"Wow!" I breathed.

"It's not bad, is it?" Chief Fire Officer Boyce agreed with me. "Just think. You could've been in command of this beauty if you hadn't refused your last promotion."

"Don't tempt me, sir!" I chuckled. "You know I love Pontypandy too much to leave the place."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce patted my shoulder. "I understand, Sam. Now, come inside, so I can show you around."

Inside, the Mobile Command Unit was neatly laid out with all the basics. Along the side wall, there was a large communications system, and a number of storage cupboards and shelves, while along the back wall, there was a built-in desk with a couple of desktop computers on it. I smiled when I saw that it also had a fax machine similar to our own one, a radio, and a red alarm button.

"It looks rather straight-forward, sir," I said. "Uh, but, what is the wall-mounted screen used for?"

"Oh, that's just there so that you can all see what the person at the computer is doing," Chief Fire Officer Boyce explained. "It's very useful for briefings and training."

"I see, sir."

"Just between you and me, it's also great for watching football matches," he added in a whisper. I chuckled.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not particularly. There are a couple of storage lockers at the back. You'll just need to be careful about driving under low bridges, because of the satellite dish on the roof."

"Understood, sir. I promise to look after it as well as I look after Jupiter."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce smiled. "In that case, here are the keys." And he handed them over. "I need to get back to work now, so I'll leave you to it. Good luck. Don't hesitate to phone me if you have any issues with it."

"I won't, sir. Thank you."

After Chief Fire Officer Boyce had gone, I walked around the outside of the Mobile Command Unit, ensuring that all the doors, levers and catches were locked and secure. I then climbed into the driver's seat, and I set about adjusting the mirrors. The Mobile Command Unit was a lot wider than Jupiter, so it took me several minutes to adjust the mirrors to the point where I felt comfortable to drive with them. Then, using my pocket radio, I radioed Elvis.

"Sam to Elvis? Have you finished unloading those boxes yet?"

" _Yes, Sam. Venus and I are ready to go now_."

"Good. I'll just radio Station Officer Steele to let him know that we're about to leave."

" _What's the Mobile Command Unit like, Sam?_ " Elvis still hadn't seen it yet.

"Big, and very flash. Don't try to break any records getting back to Pontypandy. I'd hate to lose control of it in the snow."

" _Don't worry, Sam. I'm happy to follow you if that makes you feel better._ "

I laughed. "Okay then, Elvis. Just don't follow too closely behind me, because I may not be able to see you. As long as you can see my side mirrors, I can see you."

" _Understood, Sam_."

I put my pocket radio on the seat beside me. Then, I tuned the Mobile Command Unit's radio to the frequency we used in Pontypandy. Because Newtown and Pontypandy were so close to each other, both fire brigades used different radio frequencies to avoid accidentally getting messages crossed.

"Fireman Sam to Station Officer Steele," I said once I'd set the frequency. "Come in, sir."

" _Reading you loud and clear, Sam,_ " Station Officer Steele replied.

"Elvis and I are about to leave Newtown now, sir."

" _Good. Just so you're aware, there's another snowstorm on the radar, and it's heading straight for Pontypandy_."

"Understood, sir. We'll be careful. See you again soon."

I started up the Mobile Command Unit. After I'd double-checked my mirrors, I accelerated the vehicle slowly. As I drove it around to the front of the Newtown fire station, I was surprised by just how responsive the Mobile Command Unit was. It had a fantastic turning circle, despite its size.

I'd just reached the front of the fire station, when I heard the alarms go off. Not wanting to get in the way of the emergency vehicles, I stopped the Mobile Command Unit a safe distance away from the garage. Then, I watched as a fire engine and a fire tender exited the garage, sirens blaring.

Once the way was clear, I drove down the driveway, and I turned onto the road that lead out of town. Elvis followed me at a safe distance in Venus.

The journey back to Pontypandy was surprisingly uneventful. I had to take a slightly longer route though, to avoid a low bridge. We were just approaching the Floods' house, when the snow began to fall. I slowed the Mobile Command Unit down, and I turned on the headlights and wipers.

Before long, we arrived safely back at the fire station. I parked the Mobile Command Unit opposite the driveway, while Elvis drove Venus inside the fire station. The blizzard was coming down heavily now, so I lowered the stabilising legs on the Mobile Command Unit, to help brace it against the wind. Once I was sure it had been secured, I headed inside the fire station to warm up.

 _That's odd_ , I thought as I stepped inside the fire station. The lights were out, and it appeared to be deserted. _We must've lost power because of the blizzard. Everyone must be upstairs, trying to keep warm_. I headed upstairs.

"Station Officer Steele?" I called as I entered the kitchen. At that precise moment, the lights were turned on, and I saw all the townsfolk gathered around the table, which was covered with plates of food.

"Surprise!"

Startled, I jumped back a little. "Wow! What's going on?"

Trevor stepped forward. "This surprise party is our way of thanking you for saving our lives yesterday, Sam."

"And when we heard that the old fire station was going to be replaced, we decided that was wanted to do something special to say goodbye to it," Mike added.

I quickly wiped a tear away from my right eye. I'm not often reduced to tears, but my friends' thoughtfulness had touched me deeply. "Thank you, everyone."

Dilys moved closer to me. "And I want to personally thank you, Sam, for risking your own life to rescue me."

"I was just doing my job, Dilys," I gently reminded her.

"I know. But not everyone's job requires them to put their life on the line to save others."

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I realised that she was right. _I guess I can't argue with that!_

Station Officer Steele clapped his hands together. "Right! Let's dig in before this food goes cold."

The children cheered, and they all made a dive for the chocolate-chip biscuits. Bronwyn came over to me, carrying a plate full of food.

"I put this plate of food aside for you, Sam, because I knew you probably wouldn't get anything to eat with this crowd."

I smiled as I accepted the plate. "Thank you, Bronwyn."

I'd just taken a bite from a cupcake, which I guessed Sarah and James had made, when Station Officer Steele came over to me.

"So, Sam. What's the Mobile Command Unit like?"

I quickly swallowed before I answered him. "Very flash, but extremely practical. It handles beautifully on the road too."

"I see. Well, I can't wait to see it for myself. Why don't you give us a little tour after the party?"

"Of course, sir," I agreed.

…

A few days later, our beloved and faithful old fire station was demolished. Since none of us could bear to watch it go, we decided to do some mountain rescue training exercises that day. That evening, we returned to the Mobile Command Unit, to find nothing left of our beloved old fire station, except for a pile of rubble. I'd be lying if I said that none of us shed a tear upon seeing the rubble. Words could never express how we all felt. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend.

 _At least we still have Jupiter_ , I thought as I patted the old fire engine. _Nothing will ever be able to replace her._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 5

 **3 months later:**

"Oh! Great tangled hoses!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed one spring morning as I entered the Mobile Command Unit for work. "The com-link's dropped out again!"

"I'll get up on the roof," Penny said with a sigh, and she headed outside.

I poured myself a cup of tea from the kettle. "It must've been the gale we had last night, sir," I suggested.

Station Officer Steele spun around on his chair to face me. "I don't think so, Sam. This is the fifth time we've lost the signal in two weeks!"

"I know that, sir. But, anything can interfere with radio communications. Even the trees could be causing the problem."

Station Officer Steele threw down the radio's handset in frustration. Sensing that he was about to start shouting at me, I put my cup of tea down on the bench, and I grabbed a clipboard and a safety checklist. Then, I hurried outside, letting the door slam closed behind me.

I looked up at the roof of the Mobile Command Unit. Penny had just climbed up. "Try aiming the dish away from the trees, Penny!" I called. "They're probably what's causing the interference!"

"Okay, Sam," Penny agreed, and she started to turn the dish.

"I'm just going to take a look around the building site," I told her, as I took a hard-hat out of the small rear locker. I placed it on my head. "If Station Officer Steele wants to know where I am, tell him I'm doing a spot-check for safety."

"He'll know you're just there to snoop, Sam."

I chuckled. "You know me too well, Penny!"

I walked up the driveway, staring in awe at the massive beige, red and teal building in front of me. Even though it still had scaffolding all around it, and numerous tarpaulins covering the roof, it was getting very close to being finished. The new training tower and smoke room had been finished a few days ago.

As I walked around the right-hand corner of the building, I saw some flat boxes leaning up against the wall, so I went over to investigate.

"Map Screen-700," I muttered to myself as I read the first box. _Hmm… I think that's what they're using in Newtown now. I'd better look it up online when I get home. See if I can figure out the basics of using it._

I then walked around the back of the building, and I headed over to the site office, looking for any safety breaches as I went. So far, it all looked very good.

"Hello, Sam!" Mike called from my left. He's just arrived in his van. Smiling, I went over to him.

"Hello, Mike. Are you here to start fitting out the new fire station? I thought that wasn't going to happen until next week."

"The builders haven't quite finished, and I've still got a lot of painting to do," Mike explained. "But don't worry, Sam. It will all be ready in time for the big opening."

 _I'll take that as a 'no' then…_ I thought as I marked off a few points on my safety checklist. "Excellent news, Mike! But I hope you're being careful. A building site can be a very dangerous place." Looking over my shoulder, I saw six gas canisters stacked next to each other on a wooden pallet. Even though they had warning barriers around them, they were still something we needed to be cautious of. "Especially with all these gas canisters around."

"Don't you worry, Sam," Mike said, which always made me worry even more. "Safety is my middle name."

Mike leaned over in front of me to pick up a large plank of timber. I looked at my checklist again, to see if I'd missed anything.

"Well! I'd best get back to work!" Mike said as he lifted the timber plank onto his shoulder. He swung it around as he turned back to face me.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as I ducked under the timber plank. Then there was trouble.

As Mike started to walk away, he accidentally hit part of the scaffolding with his plank. The scaffolding rocked, dislodging a plastic bucket.

"Oh!" Mike gasped. "Oh no!"

We watched as the plastic bucket fell from the third floor, knocking off a wooden board that was part of the scaffolding. The wooden board fell, heading straight for Mike!

I dropped my clipboard. Reaching out, I only just managed to catch the wooden board before it landed on top of Mike. "Ah!"

"Sorry, Sam!" Mike apologised as I put the wooden board aside, out of the way. "From now on, safety is definitely my middle name!" Just as he finished saying that, the plastic bucket landed upside-down, directly on his head. "Ow!"

Sighing, I picked up a nearby hard-hat, and I held it out to him. "Always were a hard-hat on site, Mike," I reminded him, while he removed the bucket. I then placed the hard-hat firmly on his head.

"Thanks, Sam!" Mike handed over the plastic bucket, before continuing on his way. He nearly hit me again with that plank, but I quickly moved aside.

 _Lucky I've got fast reflexes! Now, where did I drop my clipboard...?_

…

Once I'd completed the safety check around the worksite, I returned to the Mobile Command Unit. I was surprised to see Penny still standing up on the roof, fiddling with the dish.

"Station Officer Steele still trying to get the com-link working, Penny?" I asked.

"Yes, Sam! But not much luck, yet!"

Station Officer Steele threw open the door. "Try giving it two turns to the left, Firefighter Morris!"

I followed Station Officer Steele back inside the Mobile Command Unit. Elvis had arrived during my absence, and he was strumming away on his electric guitar.

"I'll have our emergency radio working in no time," Station Officer Steele said, trying to sound as though he had everything under control. He squeezed past Elvis, who was just putting down his guitar. "Excuse me!"

"Still writing that song, Elvis?" I asked.

"Yes, Sam! I'm going to perform it at the grand opening of the new fire station. It's called 'Pontypandy Rock'."

I placed a hand on Elvis' shoulder while he chuckled to himself. "I'm sure it will be brilliant, Elvis."

I tried to sound convincing, but Elvis's style of music wasn't exactly to my taste. He loved Rock 'n' Roll, while I preferred Popular music. _Still, I guess he's good at what he does._

Station Officer Steele tried to tune the radio. "Ah! There we go!" he exclaimed joyously when he found what he thought was our frequency.

" _And coming up after the next tune, we have the news and weather._ "

"Oh," Station Officer Steele muttered.

"Com-link still not quite working yet then, sir?" I asked, stating the obvious, and risking my boss' displeasure.

"No, Sam."

As Station Officer Steele continued fiddling with the radio, I picked up a large map of Pontypandy that I'd found inside Jupiter's glovebox the day before. Since there was nowhere for us to lie down inside the Mobile Command Unit, I'd started commandeering Jupiter's cab for my naps. Her bench seat was the perfect size for me to lie down on. I'd found the map inside her glovebox when I'd been searching for Elvis' mints. He still didn't know that I'd found his stash, and I hoped he never would.

"Right!" I said. "Let's get this map of Pontypandy up on the wall."

" _Hello! Is that the Pontypandy Restaurant and Take-away?_ "

I was surprised to hear Dilys' voice on the radio. So was Station Officer Steele.

"Uh! No, Dilys! It's Station Officer Steele!"

" _Oh! I'd like to order a pizza, please._ "

I nearly laughed out aloud. _Clearly, our signals have been crossed again, somehow…_

"We don't sell pizza!"

" _Well, that's not very good! My Norman wants a large pepperoni!_ "

Station Officer Steele unplugged the handset. "He IS a large pepperoni!" And he slapped the radio. "Confounded thing!"

 _A true word spoken in jest. Now then, where can I put this map?_ "Erm…" Looking around, I decided to try putting it on the cupboards behind me. _No, clearly that isn't going to work. Nobody will be able to open the cupboards._ "No, that won't work…"

I'd just taken the map down, when Elvis stabbed it right through the middle with the headstock of his guitar. "Oh!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Elvis sheepishly peeked through the hole he'd accidentally created. I lowered the damaged map. "Sorry, Sam."

"Not your fault, Elvis," I reassured him. "I think we might need a smaller map, until we've got a bigger wall." I held the map up again to help emphasis my point. Behind me, Station Officer Steele was still battling with the radio.

"No Dilys! You can't have a chicken chop-suey either!"

Elvis and I grinned at each other. Clearly, this comedy of errors was going to go on for quite some time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertanment.**

Chapter 6

After lunch, Penny, Elvis and I had been filling in some paperwork, when the fax machine inside the Mobile Command Unit began beeping an alert. Station Officer Steele tore the slip of paper off, and he read it.

"Hmm! Moose and Tom have been swept out to sea in a car that can float!"

 _Huh? That's a new one!_ I glanced at my colleagues. They looked equally surprised. Station Officer Steele pressed the red alarm button, setting off the Mobile Command Unit's siren and lights.

Penny, Elvis and I leapt into action, and we ran outside. I didn't need to tell them what to do. They instinctively ran over to where Venus was parked behind the Mobile Command Unit, while I ran over to Mercury, which was parked in front of Venus. Seconds later, we drove away, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

As we drove down to the quayside, I tried to figure out how we'd find Tom and Moose. _Well, we can't use the helicopter to search for them, so Ben will have to help_. I quickly radioed him.

"Hello, Ben?"

" _Hello, Sam!_ "

"We're going to need all three boats from the Ocean Rescue Centre. With Tom out to sea, we won't be able to use the helicopter to search for them."

" _Rodger that, Sam!_ "

Minutes later, we arrived at the Ocean Rescue Centre, and we dashed inside the building. Inside, the alarms were already going. I grabbed my ocean rescue wetsuit from the rack, and I put it on quickly, along with the helmet. The others did the same. Once I had my wetsuit on, I slid down the fireman's pole to the lower floor, where my jet ski, Juno, was parked. I pulled the lever on the wall to open the door, before I jumped aboard Juno and started her up.

After I'd successfully launched Juno into the water, I drove her around to the front of the Ocean Rescue Centre to rendezvous with the others. Penny had taken Neptune, which was no surprise to me, while Ben and Elvis were on board Titan. Since we had no idea where to search, I decided that we needed to spread out.

"Penny? You keep going west," I instructed over the radio.

" _Rodger that, Sam._ "

"Ben? Keep Titan going south. I'll look north."

" _Rodger that, Sam._ "

We split up. I'd deliberately selected the north, because I would have to search around Pontypandy Island, and that would take time with the large vessels. Juno would be able to nip around the island in no time at all.

After I'd searched around the island, I drove Juno out to sea. _Come on! Where are they? How hard can it be to spot a floating car? Then again, it might have sunk. I hope they were smart enough to wear life-vests!_

I stood up to see better, and I kept scanning the horizon as I drove further out to sea. Finally, I spotted them. _They're a long way out! At least that floating car is still floating!_ I drove Juno straight towards them.

"I've found them!" I announced to the others over the radio. "Head north. Repeat. Head north, and look for my flare."

" _Rodger that, Sam!_ " Penny and Ben replied in unison.

Tom and Moose cheered and whooped as I stopped Juno alongside their floating car. I grabbed a flare out of Juno's tiny locker.

"Good on ya, mate!" Tom exclaimed as I set off the flare.

"Just hang on, boys," I told them. "We'll have you back on dry land in no time."

Sure enough, Penny, Ben and Elvis arrived a short while later. I tied the floating car to the back of Titan, while Penny helped Tom and Moose get into Neptune. Once we were ready, we set off back towards shore.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Moose said to me on our way back. I was riding Juno alongside Neptune. "I need to get a bit better at driving the Catfish, before we try and get anymore photos for our exhibition."

"I think that's a good idea," I agreed. "Never hurts to practice somewhere safe first, Moose."

"I will, Sam."

Tom, who'd been looking through their photos on his camera, placed his hand on Moose's shoulder. "I've just had a great idea! You know what we could call it, Moose?"

"What?"

"The duck-billed platypus!"

"A duck-billed pity-pu-whaty-what-pus?"

For once, I had no idea what to say! Then again, sometimes, I had no idea what those two were talking about! "Um…Right then! Let's head back to shore."

" _I wonder how many more emergencies there'll be, before we move into our new fire station, Sam_ ," Elvis said to me over the radio.

"Who knows, Elvis? Who knows?" Seeing that we were getting closer to the bay, I drove Juno on ahead. The sooner I had her safely back inside the Ocean Rescue Centre, the sooner I'd be able to help the others get Tom and Moose back onto shore. _And the sooner I'll be able to have a nap inside Jupiter before I start my night shift._

…

A few days later, Elvis and I were sorting through some incident reports inside the Mobile Command Unit, when the fax machine started beeping an alert. Station Officer Steele read it aloud.

"Gareth Griffiths' brazier has gone out of control!"

Elvis and I were already running out of the Mobile Command Unit before Station Officer Steele had activated the alarm.

"We'll take Jupiter!" I said as we ran down the steps.

"Rodger that, Sam!"

I climbed into Jupiter's driver's seat, while Elvis climbed in the other side. Seconds later, I drove Jupiter away down the street, sirens blaring.

When we arrived at my father-in-law's house behind the railway station, we found that the out-of-control brazier fire wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it to be, but we still needed to put it out before it spread. Working together, Elvis and I managed to put it out.

"Oh! Thank you, Sam!" Gareth exclaimed with relief once he saw that the fire was out. He gently put Nipper down on the grass. "I was burning some grass cuttings, and it went out of control."

"It was probably the petrol fumes from the mower that made it worse," I suggested. "Next time, you should leave the grass cuttings to dry out for a few days before you burn them."

"I will, Sam," Gareth agreed.

…

Our next emergency came the following day. Elvis and I were again on duty together, when Station Officer Steele received the fax message.

"Joe Sparks is stuck in a tree with a jetpack!"

I exhaled deeply in disbelief, before I ran out of the Mobile Command Unit, closely followed by Elvis.

"Where on earth did Joe get a jetpack from?" Elvis wondered as I drove Jupiter through the town.

"It's probably the same one he let Norman use that time he set the Pontypandy Flyer on fire," I replied. "He must've been testing it."

"Oh!"

When we arrived at the field, Hannah showed us where her father was caught up in the tree, hanging by his jetpack.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Joe groaned in dismay.

"Hang in there, Joe!" I called as I climbed onto the aerial ladder. "I'm coming up to get you."

Minutes later, we had Joe safely back on solid ground.

"Sorry, Sam," Joe apologised. "I was testing it, and I lost control. Perhaps next time, I'll do my jetpack testing away from the trees."

I placed a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Or perhaps, you could consider giving up on the jetpack altogether, Joe? I don't want to make a habit of rescuing you from your jetpack!"

…

About a week later, we responded to a major emergency. No prizes for guessing that Norman was involved.

"Norman Price is stuck at the top of the waterfall in his go-kart!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed upon receiving the emergency notification.

"Looks like I'm going in for a dip!" I joked as I ran out of the Mobile Command Unit first.

"Well, at least he hasn't gone into the oceanagain," Penny added as she ran after me. Elvis brought up the rear. Together, we ran over to Jupiter, and we scrambled inside her, with me driving.

When we arrived at the top of the waterfall, I quickly put on my water rescue wetsuit and life vest. I then secured the safety line harness around my waist. Penny ensured that Mandy and Derek kept a safe distance away.

"Help me!" Norman screamed. His go-kart was trapped behind a large rock, which was the only thing preventing it from going over the edge.

"I'm coming, Norman!" I called, as I secured the safety line to Jupiter's front bumper. Then, with Penny and Elvis holding the rope closer to the water's edge, I climbed into the cold, rushing river. The water was only waist-deep, but the current was very strong, thanks to all the snow still melting high up in the mountains. Moving quickly, but cautiously, I made my way over to Norman.

"Hurry, Fireman Sam!" Norman begged.

The water in the middle of the river now came up to my chest. I grabbed hold of Norman, and I gently lifted him out of his go-kart. As soon as I'd removed him, the go-kart came free of the rock, and it went over the edge. _Well, hopefully we'll never see that again!_

"My go-kart!" Norman exclaimed sadly.

"Never mind your go-kart, Norman!" I told him firmly as I struggled against the strong current. "Just lean back against my chest and relax. Okay, Penny! Pull us in."

I walked backwards slowly as Penny and Elvis pulled us back over to the river's edge. As soon as I felt the edge against my back, I turned around so that Norman could scramble out of the water, with Penny's assistance. Once I was sure he was safe, I climbed out as well.

"I-I'm s-so c-cold!" Norman said through chattering teeth.

"Come over to Jupiter, Norman, and I'll get you a blanket," Penny told him kindly.

I took off my helmet as I sat up. "The next time you want to take a dip in icy water, Norman, please give me advanced warning!"

Everyone laughed, except for Norman, who cringed sheepishly. "Sorry, Fireman Sam."

"So, you should be!" Penny admonished him, as she handed over a thick blanket. "After all, you wouldn't want to be blamed for Sam catching a cold, now, would you?"

I stood up, and I started to unzip the life-vest. "Don't worry, Norman. If I do catch a cold from this, I'll make sure I share it with you!"

Everyone laughed again. Norman pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "I don't see what's so funny."

"Well, at least you no longer have your go-kart, Norman," Penny said. "We were starting to get tired of rescuing you from the ocean. Come on, Sam. Let's get you dried off as well."

 **Hey everyone! So sorry for the late update! I'm currently on a working holiday interstate with unexpectedly limited internet and I've had some computer technicalities too (which I'm trying to resolve). For that reason, I may not be able to update my stories as often as I have been, so please be patient with me. Thanks for understanding.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 7

One afternoon, I was having a nap inside Jupiter's cab, when I was abrupted awakened by her horn going off.

"Uh! Wha-!" I exclaimed as I sat up. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Station Officer Steele standing outside the driver's side door. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was standing right behind him.

"Well! I must say, this isn't very dignified for a lead fireman!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce remarked.

Groaning, I sat up properly. "Sorry, but the Mobile Command Unit doesn't have anywhere for us to sleep, except for the floor."

"True," Chief Fire Officer Boyce agreed. "So, you'll be pleased to know that the new fire station is now finished."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and I wiped the sleepy dust from my eyes. "That is wonderful news, sir!"

"Why don't you get down out of Jupiter now, Sam?" Station Officer Steele suggested. "Chief Fire Officer Boyce has a surprise for us."

"Good or bad?" I asked as I jumped down out of Jupiter.

"Good."

I followed my superior officers inside the Mobile Command Unit. We found Penny and Elvis playing a game of 'snap!' on the floor.

"Snap!" Elvis shouted as he slammed his hand down on a pile of cards.

Station Officer Steele cleared his throat. Upon seeing Chief Fire Officer Boyce, Penny and Elvis promptly stood up, snapping to attention. I fell into line beside them.

"That's better, firefighters!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce said firmly. Then he winked at us to show that he wasn't upset by our relaxed behaviour. "At ease!"

We automatically obeyed his command. Chief Fire Officer Boyce began pacing back and forth in front of us.

"Good. Now, since your new fire station has just been completed, I have a surprise for you. You're all going to be getting brand-new uniforms."

 _Yes! It's about time._

"What's wrong with our old uniforms, sir?" Elvis wondered.

"They're too outdated," Chief Fire Officer Boyce explained. Bending down, he pulled a cardboard box out from underneath the bench. From it, he took out one of the new uniforms. "As you can see, we've done away with the heritage buttons, and we've replaced them with clips, which should help you make uniform changes faster. They also have a clip on the front for your new water-proof radios. We have some other uniforms on order for you, and they should be delivered within the next few weeks. They will include a station uniform, which will be a blue polo shirt with dark blue pants, and an animal rescue uniform."

"So, basically, we'll now have different uniforms for different types of rescues?" Penny asked.

"Exactly! I have your new firefighting uniforms right here. I do hope the uniform company has managed to get your sizes right, because I expect you to wear them at the opening ceremony tomorrow." And Chief Fire Officer Boyce passed around our new uniforms.

We all tried on the jackets. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was pleased to see that they fit us all perfectly.

"Excellent! Here are your new radios too. The pants and helmets for your new uniforms are in those other boxes. I need to be going now, but I'll see you all again tomorrow morning for the opening ceremony. Bye!"

"Goodbye, Chief Fire Officer Boyce," Penny, Elvis and I replied in unison. Station Officer Steele followed him out of the Mobile Command Unit.

Turning, I placed my new uniform down on the bench behind me. "Well! That wasn't quite what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting, Sam?"

"I'm not really sure," I admitted.

Penny held up her new uniform. "They're very modern. I hope the rest of the uniform isn't as flashy."

I opened up another box. Inside were our new uniform pants. "Well, you can relax, Penny. The pants haven't changed."

"What are the new helmets like, Sam?" Penny wondered.

I took one out of its box. "Much the same, only they have our new logo on them." I held my hand over the logo. "The logos glow in the dark."

"Oh! Let me look!" Elvis said as he snatched the helmet out of my hands.

"Hey!"

Station Officer Steele chose that moment to return. "What's all this? You three look like a bunch of kids in a lolly shop!"

"We were just looking, sir," Penny explained. "It has been over ten years since we last had a new uniform design, so we're rather excited to see it."

Station Officer Steele tip-toed around us, so he could get back to his computer.

"Yes, well, your uniforms all have your names on them, so take what's yours and take it home with you. Just don't forget to wear it tomorrow."

"Hey, Sam," Elvis began. "This helmet has your name in it."

I snatched it back from him. "And before you go taking what's not yours, Elvis, that white helmet you've just put on your head belongs to Station Officer Steele."

Station Officer Steele spun around on his swivel chair. "CRIDDLINGTON!"

…

The next morning, I arrived at the new fire station wearing my brand-new uniform, to find the townsfolk already setting everything up for the opening ceremony. A stage had been set up on the left for Elvis and his band to perform on, while the food tables had been placed in front of the garage bay doors. Since Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were no longer parked out in the street, I guessed that they were inside the garage.

 _I wonder who moved them? Probably Station Officer Steele. Hmm. The Mobile Command Unit has gone too. Chief Fire Officer Boyce must've taken it back to Newtown with him, after I went off-duty last night. Oh well. I'm just glad we'll be able to operate properly at last._

Before long, everything had been set up, and everyone had arrived for the grand opening, including Chief Fire Officer Boyce. I soon found myself engaged in a casual conversation with Chief Fire Officer Boyce, Tom, Bronwyn and Ben. We ended the conversation when Elvis, Mike and Trevor began playing their new song.

Although the song, 'Pontypandy Rock' wasn't exactly to my taste, I danced along with everyone else, mainly so that I wouldn't be the only one not dancing. Even Chief Fire Officer Boyce joined in. Seeing that Penny was clapping but not dancing, I grabbed her hand, and I started to dance with her. Colour flushed her cheeks, but she didn't try to get away from me. Not wanting to embarrass her too much, I let go of her hand, but she continued dancing beside me.

As the song came to an end, we stopped dancing and started applauding. Mike then took over the microphone. He cleared his throat before he started to speak.

"And now for the grand opening!"

While everyone was cheering, Station Officer Steele, Penny, Elvis and I assembled ourselves according to rank next to the fire station's front door. A yellow ribbon had been placed in front of it. Chief Fire Officer Boyce walked over with a pair of scissors, and he turned to address the crowd.

"It is with great honour, and privilege, that I, the esteemed Chief Fire Officer Boyce…"

Glancing down to my right, I saw Station Officer Steele roll his eyes. He froze when he saw me looking at him.

"…now declare Pontypandy's new fire station…" He cut the ribbon. "…open!"

Everyone cheered and applauded excitedly.

"Thank you, everyone!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce said to the crowd. "Now, help yourself to Bronwyn's fine buffet, while I show the firefighters their new home."

We eagerly followed Chief Fire Officer Boyce inside. The smell of fresh paint hit me as soon as he opened the door.

The first room Chief Fire Officer Boyce escorted us into was the garage. "As you can see, you can now park all your fire vehicles in the station."

I looked around in awe. The new garage was huge! It was two stories high, allowing plenty of clearance for Jupiter. To my left, there was a locker area with a bench. Two large pipes hung from the ceiling, which I knew were connected to an exhaust extractor fan somewhere up in the roof. Venus had been parked in the first bay, with Jupiter on the only turntable, in the second bay beside her. Mercury was parked in the smaller fourth bay, which was at a right angle to the first three.

"Oh, look!" Elvis exclaimed as soon as he saw Mercury. "Mercury's inside now!"

"There's even room for two more!" I added, making note of the extra bays.

"Well, you never know when you might want to expand," Chief Fire Officer Boyce explained.

 _Smart thinking, sir!_

"Oh! Look!" Elvis said, pointing upwards. He started running into the centre of the garage. "This station doesn't just have one pole! It has two! We can slide down at the same time, Penny!"

"Two poles seem to be a bit much for just us four," Penny said as we went over to where Elvis was standing.

"Ah!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce interjected. "That's because I have a very special surprise lined up for you!"

 _Not another one, sir!_

Chief Fire Officer Boyce held his hands up in a welcoming gesture. "Firefighter Arnold McKinley!"

I watched in surprise as a young brunette man slid down the first fireman's pole. As soon as he landed on the ground, he saluted Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Chief Fire Officer Boyce patted the young man's shoulder before going over towards the second fireman's pole.

"And Firefighter Ellie Phillips!"

A dark-skinned young woman with short hair slid down the second fireman's pole. She beamed as soon as she saw us.

 _I recognise those two from somewhere! Now, where was it…?_

Both of our new recruits joined Chief Fire Officer Boyce, who was now standing in front of us.

"The new members of the Ponypandy Fire Service!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce proudly announced. "They've just finished their training at Newtown Academy, and they came top of their class."

"Excellent!" Station Officer Steele said. He was clearly delighted to be getting the very best recruits.

 _Of course! Now I remember! They were part of the group of trainees who bombarded me with questions. I'll have to keep an eye on those two…_

"Wow!" Arnold exclaimed, and he ran over to Jupiter. "A four-wheel drive, longitudinal front engine six-cylinder high compression turbo diesel! I can't wait to get behind the wheel of that!"

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. _It'll be a long time before that happens, young Arnold! After all, everyone around here knows that Jupiter is only driven by someone else if I'm not available, or if I decide to take Mercury._

Elvis placed a hand on my shoulder from behind. "I don't understand a word of what he just said, Sam," he whispered.

"He's talking about Jupiter, Elvis," I whispered back.

Unfortunately, everyone heard me. Arnold looked a little star struck as he walked towards me. Obviously, he was easily able to recognise me.

"I'm looking forward to learning from the best!" he gushed as he offered me his hand. "Fireman Sam!"

I happily shook his hand to welcome him to the team. "Why, thank you, Arnold!" I replied awkwardly.

"Teacher's pet!" Ellie whispered to Arnold as he went back over to her.

"Now, for the rest of the tour!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce announced. As a group, we followed him outside.

 **Great news everyone! My back-up plan is now working smoothly, so hopefully I'll be able to keep updating as regularly as I have been. Thanks for your understanding.**

 **I've actually spent this evening touring the local fire station, which is just up the hill from where I'm staying while I'm on my working holiday. I've learned a lot, and I'll probably use some of the details I've learned in my Fireman Sam stories.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 8

Outside, behind the new fire station, Chief Fire Officer Boyce lead us over to a large metal cover that was protecting the external fire hydrants.

"Oh!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce said as he lifted the cover. "With these additional fire hydrants, you'll be able to fill up Jupiter and Venus faster than ever before. And you can use them while you're training at the training tower. There's even one for sticky foam."

"Oh! I love sticky foam!" Elvis said excitedly. Penny patted his shoulder as she walked past him.

I continued following Chief Fire Officer Boyce. But then, quite suddenly, I heard the rushing flow of water, followed by Elvis yelping and spluttering. Turning, I saw that one of the new hydrants was on, gushing a tremendous spray of water that was pinning poor Elvis to the wall.

 _Oh, good grief!_ I thought as I ran over to help. Arnold and Ellie followed me. I turned off the hydrant easily. As soon as I did, Elvis collapsed onto all fours on the ground, gasping for air. Arnold and Ellie started giggling. Obviously feeling a bit silly, Elvis looked up at me sadly.

I went over to Elvis, and I offered him a hand up. _They shouldn't be laughing. It could happen to anyone. I can't wait to see how they handle a fire hose under full pressure._ "Don't worry, Elvis," I told him kindly as I helped him stand up. "It'll all take a bit of getting used to."

"Er..." Chief Fire Officer Boyce interjected. "Now on to the Control Room..."

We went upstairs to the first floor. Chief Fire Officer Boyce showed us into the only room on that level, which was the Control Room. Elvis squelched as he walked, which finally irritated Station Officer Steele to the point where he snapped.

"Criddlington! Will you please stop squelching?"

"I'm sorry, sir!" Elvis apologised. "I can't help it! I got my pants all wet."

"This is your new, all computerised control system," Chief Fire Officer Boyce announced.

I smiled when I saw the Map Screen-700 up on the back wall. _Now, I'm glad I've read up on how to use it. The online instruction manual was very helpful. I should be able to manage the system easily._

"Watch this!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce pressed a button on the control screen. An overhead map of Pontypandy came up on the main screen, as well as on the control screen.

"Pontypandy – overview."

"Who said that?" Elvis exclaimed.

"It was the screen, Criddlington," Chief Fire Officer Boyce explained. "And, you can zoom in to see more details." He pressed another button, and the map zoomed in on the quay. One of the buildings started flashing.

"Pontypandy quay. The Wholefish Cafe."

"Oohh!" Elvis exclaimed. "Oh! That's really clever!"

"It's only a build-in intelligent assistant, high-speed processor that speaks natural language voice commands." Arnold explained. "Pfft!"

Station Officer Steele didn't look convinced. "Er... A little more complicated than the old fax machine."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce clapped his hands together. "Right! I need to get back to Newtown. Good luck getting to know each other. And getting to know your new fire station!" He left, closing the door behind him.

We all glanced uncertainly at each other. Since none of us had been expecting two new recruits, we weren't feeling too comfortable having them with us. Luckily, Station Officer Steele quickly broke the ice.

"Why don't we all go upstairs to the kitchen, and have a cup of tea?" he suggested. "That way, we can all start getting to know each other."

"What a good idea, sir!" Elvis agreed. "I'll go and put the kettle on."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't I do that, Elvis? You need to go and get changed."

"Okay, Sam." And Elvis headed downstairs to here the showers, change rooms and toilets were.

 _At least that should prevent him from accidentally setting the new kitchen on fire,_ I thought as the rest of us made our way upstairs. _I don't think he'd be able to cope having Arnold and Ellie laughing at him again._

When we got upstairs, we went into the kitchen. I found an electric kettle, and I set about preparing the tea for everyone.

"Why don't we play a little 'getting to know you' game?" Station Officer Steele suggested, once everyone had made themselves comfortable at the table. "We all have to say something unique or unusual about ourselves."

"Isn't that getting a bit personal, sir?" Penny wondered.

"Perhaps," Station Officer Steele agreed. "But if we're all going to be working together as a team, we need to start trusting each other right from the start. I'll go first. Hmm... Okay, I admit I enjoy flying kites. Your turn, Penny."

"Oh, um... I like to collect postcards."

I was surprised. "I never knew that, Penny!"

Penny blushed. "Yes, well, my parents used to travel a lot, you see, and they always sent me postcards, and because I missed them so much, I kept them. Now, I just collect them for the fun of it. I love collecting unusual ones, or ones with funny slogans on them."

"Interesting," Station Officer Steele mused. "Okay, Arnold. Your turn."

"Oh, er... Well, this is rather embarrassing really, but I used to compete in figure skating competitions..."

"Were you any good?" Penny asked.

Arnold blushed. "Um, yeah, actually. I still have heap of trophies and medals at home..."

He let the sentence hang. In that moment, I felt a bit sorry for him. _He's homesick. Poor boy. I never imagined how hard it must be to accept a job that takes you away from everything and everyone you've ever known._

I carried a couple of steaming hot cups of tea over to the table. "You miss your family, don't you, Arnold?"

"Yes," he replied quietly. "This is the first time I've ever lived away from home, you see."

"I remember that feeling," I told him kindly. "When I moved to Cardiff to do my fire training at the academy there, I was homesick for weeks. I was lucky to be stationed here in my hometown after I'd finished my training, because Cardiff usually keep the best graduates for themselves."

"Why didn't you stay there then?" Ellie wondered.

I sighed despondently. "It's a long story. Maybe one day I'll tell you, but now isn't the time."

"Oh. Okay then."

"I guess it's your turn now, Sam," Station Officer Steele said.

"Hmm..." _Something unique or unusual that isn't a secret, but not too obvious..._ _Let's see now..._ "Well..."

Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to answer. Blushing, I looked down at the ground as an answer sprang into mind.

"Er... Okay, I'll admit it! I like to skate on black ice when I'm sure no one is watching me."

Everyone promptly burst out laughing, including Station Officer Steele.

"And we all thought you were going to tell us some great big secret!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Hey! I like doing that as well!" Penny grinned. "It's great fun, isn't it, Sam?"

I could feel my cheeks burning as the blush in them increased, so I quickly returned to the kitchen bench. Just then, Elvis returned.

"Did I miss something funny?"

"Only Sam admitting to doing something that we all like to do in secret," Penny told him.

"Oh! Okay then."

"So, Sam," Ellie said. "Why don't you tell us about how you managed to earn so many medals?"

Her question caught me off guard, and I accidentally let go of the cup I'd been holding. It crashed onto the floor, causing everyone to look at me. Luckily, the cup had been empty, and it landed without breaking. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief before I picked it up.

"That isn't a subject I ever talk about, Ellie," I told her firmly as I placed the cup in the sink.

Ellie looked surprised, and a little hurt. "Oh. Sorry. It's just that, Chief Fire Officer Boyce makes you out to be this great hero, but I always thought he was exaggerating."

"He does, a little bit," Penny kindly explained. "Sam doesn't like to be called a hero, even though we all know he is."

 _That's enough, Penny!_ Picking up my own cup of tea, I headed outside onto the new balcony for some fresh air. _If people are going to talk about me, they can do so without me eavesdropping!_

About ten minutes later, I'd calmed down, so I returned inside. Elvis and Arnold were still sitting at the kitchen table, chatting about computers, so I headed downstairs. As I started to walk past the Control Room, I heard Station Officer Steele shouting at something, and so I opened the door to investigate.

"I don't want any windows cleaned! Now, stop this!"

The Map Screen-700 was flashing its 'error' emoticon. "I'm sorry. I do not understand that command."

Station Officer Steele was on the verge of panicking. "STOP I TELL YOU!"

I shook my head in disbelief. _It's a computer! It doesn't understand the word 'stop'_. "Oh, dear!" I said quietly. Hearing me, Station Officer Steele turned around to face me. I handed my cup of tea over to him, which he set down on his desk. I went over to the control panel. _Now, let's see... The 'menu' button is that one..._ I pressed it, and it took me into the 'menu'. I then went into 'settings', and I selected 'voice command', which I then turned to 'off'. Once I'd done that, I pressed the 'home' button. The screen returned to the map of Pontypandy, only now it was showing Pontypandy Island. _Oh well. That'll do._ I turned to face Station Officer Steele.

"Oh!" Station Officer Steele said with relief, and he wiped his forehead. "Thank you, Sam! That thing wouldn't stop talking at me! What did you do?"

"I deactivated the voice mechanism, sir," I explained as I went over to the bench near the window. I picked up the instruction manual, and I carried the thick folder over to him. "You might want to read this." I held it out to him.

"What is it?" Station Officer Steele asked incredulously.

I handed it over. "The instruction manual, sir."

"What?" He nearly dropped the heavy folder. "Oh! Oh, well, it's very, um..." He sat down at his desk with the folder. "...very big." He opened it, and proceeded to read aloud. "Thank you for purchasing the Map Screen-700. If you follow the instructions carefully..."

Not wanting to hear the instruction manual being read aloud, I took my tea, which was starting to go cold anyway, and I started to leave the Control Room.

"Oh, Sam!" Station Officer Steele called.

I turned back around. "Yes, sir?"

"Chief Fire Officer Boyce has another surprise for you."

"Just me, sir, or everyone else as well?"

"Just you, this time. You'll find another computer upstairs in next to the TV Room. It's for you."

I was surprised! "Me, sir? Why on earth would I need my own computer?"

"Because, Chief Fire Officer Boyce wants you to start supporting me as a Sub-Officer; especially now that we have Ellie and Arnold to help out. It'll mean a lot more paperwork for you, which is why you'll need your own space. There's a bookshelf and a filing cabinet there for you to use as well. Of course, it's up to you to decide if you'd like to share your computer with the other firefighters. Since none of the others are quite ready to become a lead fireman, you'll continue in that role for now. However, one day, you will officially become a Sub-Officer, so it'll be better if you start learning the role now."

"I see... I'm guessing this is all Boyce's idea, sir?"

"I believe so. I'm sorry, but since you refuse to accept the promotions offered to you, he's now going to start forcing them on you."

 _Oh. So, it's come to this, has it?_ "I won't give up being the lead fireman until I know one of the others can do it."

"Which is why I'm putting you in charge of Ellie and Arnold's training as well, Sam."

I facepalmed myself. _Great! My workload has just tripled within the space of three minutes! Well, if I get burned out, I'll know who to blame..._

"Yes, sir."

"You don't sound particularly happy about it, Sam."

"How can I be? At larger fire stations, three men would be doing all the work I have to do now!"

"You'll be fine, Sam. I'm here to help you, remember?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, sir." I took a sip of tea as I left the Control Room. _Drat it! It's gone stone cold now!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 9

When I arrived for work the next morning, I found Station Officer Steele inside the Control Room.

"Ah! Morning, Sam!"

"Good morning, sir. Is there anything new to report?" I asked as I double-checked the day's roster on the Map Screen-700. In the old fire station, the roster used to be pinned up on the notice board. Usually, I would do a normal day shift, six days a week, along with three night shifts. Penny and Elvis' shifts were a lot more flexible, so I was in the habit of checking to see who else was rostered with me. I noticed that Penny was having the day off.

 _That's right! She mentioned she was going to take the children potholing in the mountain caves. I hope nothing goes wrong. It'd make a nice change to have a quiet day with no rescues._

Station Officer Steele's answer penetrated my thoughts. "No, but I do have a task for you."

I put the Map Screen-700 back on the 'home' screen. "Yes, sir?"

"I want you to put Ellie and Arnold through some basic drills. Find out how good they really are. We'll need to know what their strengths and weaknesses are before we send them out on calls."

"Understood, sir. I'll get them started right away. Uh, may I use your microphone, sir?"

Station Officer Steele waved his hand dismissively. "Of course, Sam! Do whatever you like. As a Sub Officer in training, you're just as free to use the equipment in the Control Room as I am."

I picked up the microphone, and I pressed the button. "Attention, everyone! I want you all to meet me near the training tower in ten minutes for a training drill." I carefully set the microphone back down on the bench. "Guess I'd better go and light some fires!"

A couple of minutes later, I was down in the garage collecting several different types of fire extinguishers from the training lockers. Once I had the ones I wanted, I went out the back to set up the drill. Elvis joined me just as I was dragging out the fire containment chests.

"What are we doing today, Sam?" Elvis wondered.

"Basic fire extinguisher training," I replied.

"But I already know how to put out fires, Sam!" Elvis protested.

"I know, Elvis. But it never hurts to have a refresher. Besides, Station Officer Steele wants me to test out our new recruits," I added quietly.

"Oh! I see!"

"Could you fetch some wood for me, please? I'll get the kerosene..."

"Righty-o, Sam!"

Five minutes later, Elvis and I had finished setting everything up. The only thing left for me to do was to light the fires. I put on my helmet, and I lowered the visor.

"Stand back, Elvis," I instructed as I struck a match. "I'm going to light the kerosene first."

Once Elvis was a safe distance away, I tossed the match inside the first containment chest. It instantly ignited into a fireball, before settling down just as quickly.

"Wow!" Ellie exclaimed behind me. "That was one big fireball!"

Turning, I saw Ellie and Arnold standing with Elvis. "Don't worry. The next fire won't ignite like that." And I tossed another lit match into the contained wood pile.

After I'd lit the last fire, I began the training exercise. "Now, we have three types of fire to be extinguished. Elvis? Can you demonstrate which extinguishers to use?"

"Yes, Sam!"

"Fire one – liquid fire," I added.

Elvis walked over to the six types of fire extinguishers I'd set out, and he selected the one containing foam. I rolled my eyes.

 _Why doesn't that surprise me?_

But just as Elvis picked up the extinguisher, he accidentally hit another one. Like dominoes, the remaining fire extinguishers toppled over, and they began to roll away.

"I... What the... Oh no! Come back!" Elvis exclaimed as he started running after the fire extinguishers. "Ee! Oh! Stop rolling away! Oh!"

"I wouldn't want to be in an emergency situation with him!" Arnold said quietly to Ellie.

"Come back!"

Groaning inwardly, I rubbed my forehead between my eyes, as though I had a headache. _Oh, Elvis! What on earth am I going to do with you?_ "Elvis?" I called. "Why don't you go and start setting up the smoke room for our next drill?"

"Righty-o, Sam!"

I turned to face Ellie and Arnold. "I know what you're both thinking, but Elvis isn't as bad as you think he is. During training, he's clumsy, but during a real emergency there isn't anyone else I'd rather have standing alongside me."

Ellie and Arnold didn't look convinced. I sighed heavily. "Okay, Arnold. Let's see you put out fire two – the wood fire."

About an hour later, I went to report to Station Officer Steele. "I've run Ellie and Arnold through the basic drills, sir."

"And?"

"I'm happy for them to begin undertaking harder drills, sir. Arnold tends to stick to the rulebook, so we'll probably have to teach him that you can't always do that during emergency situations. As for Ellie, she's confident with most things, but she needs to develop more strength before we can let her handle the fire hoses under full pressure."

"Good work, Sam. Thank you. Now, I'm afraid your fun is over for the day. I need your help me with these reports. They all need to be scanned into the computer system, and then emailed to HQ in Newtown."

I frowned as Station Officer Steele handed me an armful of folders and loose papers. _Well, I suppose this is what happens to everyone in the fire service... The older we get, the more paperwork we get._ "I'll get onto it right away, sir," I said as I left the office. _At least once it's done, I can get back to doing what I love doing the most._

...

About three hours later, I decided to take a break from doing the paperwork. I also needed a break from staring at the computer screen, so I went over to the water cooler to get a drink. Looking out of the windows, I saw that the weather had changed quite dramatically.

 _Hmm... That's starting to look pretty wild out there_ , I thought as I watched some leaves being blown around outside. At that moment, a message was transmitted over my radio. It was Ben.

" _Sam? We've just been in contact with the Coast Guard. They told us that they've just upgraded the incoming storm to a category three hurricane!_ "

"Okay," I radioed back. "Thanks for the warning, Ben. We'll start making preparations." _A hurricane? Where on earth did that come from? I should've checked the radar this morning!_ I thought as I hurried downstairs.

"That was Ben," I said to Station Officer Steele as I entered the Control Room. He looked up from his desk. "There's a hurricane heading for Pontypandy! And it's a big one."

"We're going to need all the firefighter power we have!" Station Officer Steele replied. "Where's Firefighter Morris?"

"She was taking some of the kids potholing near the Mountain Activity Centre. I'll try and catch her before she goes in." I unclipped my radio from my chest.

Station Officer Steele was looking at the control panel in his hands. "Well, there's a river running under those mines. They flood really easily." He brought up the image he was looking at onto the Map Screen-700.

 _He's right. If it rains while they're still inside, they could drown_. I pressed the 'talk' button on my radio. "Come in Penny. Come in Penny. Come in Penny! Do you read me?" I received nothing but static. "She must be in the mines already," I told Station Officer Steele gravely. "I'll try Moose."

"And I'll scramble the other firefighters!"

"Come in Moose," I said into the radio. "Are you there, Moose? Over." Again, there was no reply. "He's not responding. What do we do now, sir?"

"We need to enact our hurricane emergency procedure," Station Officer Steele replied.

"I know that, sir. But Penny and the kids could be danger, and you also need me here."

Station Officer Steele frowned thoughtfully. "You're right, Sam. So, what are you going to do?"

 _He's testing me. I think he wants to see how well I can delegate responsibility. After all, that is the primary role of a Sub Officer._ "Elvis knows the hurricane emergency procedure," I mused. "I'm sure he can prepare the town, while I head on up into the mountains to get Penny and the kids."

Station Officer Steele smiled, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Just be careful, Sam."

"I will, sir," I promised. But I could see in his eyes that he was genuinely concerned for me.

Station Officer Steele picked up his mobile phone. "Firefighter McKinley? We need you on duty now, please. There's a hurricane on the way."

Ten minutes later, Ellie and Arnold had arrived and reported for duty. During that time, I'd reminded Elvis of what he needed to do to prepare the town for flooding, and possible evacuation. Flood evacuations weren't unusual for Pontypandy, due to the town's proximity to the ocean, so I felt comfortable leaving Elvis in charge. He knew what he was doing, even if Ellie and Arnold didn't think so.

"I'll be heading up into the mountains to make sure the kids are safe, and bring Penny back to town," I explained to my colleagues as they followed me into the garage. Station Officer Steele stood off to one side, watching me closely. Pausing, I turned to face the other firefighters. "In the meantime, Elvis, you will be in charge of Arnold and Ellie." I ignored the worried glances Ellie and Arnold exchanged. _My decision is made, kids, so live with it. Hopefully, you won't be so quick to judge others next time._ "You'll need to prepare Pontypandy for the hurricane," I explained.

Elvis saluted me. "Rodger that, Sam." He led Ellie and Arnold over to the rack to collect their helmets.

As I turned to go, Station Officer Steele touched my shoulder. "Sa-Sam... If this hurricane is as bad as it looks, we'll need you and Penny back here as soon as possible."

"I know, sir. I'll be as fast as I can," I promised. _Have I really made the right decision?_

I watched for a moment as Elvis, Arnold and Ellie climbed into Jupiter and Venus. Then I ran over to Mercury. Once I had my helmet on, I drove Mercury out of the fire station, heading towards the mountains, while the others drove Jupiter and Venus towards the lower part of town.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dsiclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 10

It was already pouring with rain by the time I arrived at the railway station. I parked Mercury inside the engine shed, where I knew she would be safe from the storm. After I'd grabbed my potholing helmet out of Mercury's box, I ran over to Bessie's shed.

Bessie started up easily, and so once I was out on the main line, I accelerated her to her top speed, which, admittedly, wasn't all that fast. The hurricane was getting worse by the minute, so I hoped that Elvis and the others would be able to get the townsfolk to safety.

By the time I arrived at the end of the line, I could see that the caves were already starting to flood. Grabbing my potholing helmet, I ran inside. Thunder and lightning crashed through the sky behind me as I fastened my helmet. _Time is of the essence now. I have to find them and get them to safety before this storm gets any worse._ I turned on the helmet's light. _But I mustn't let the kids panic. Stay calm, Sam. Stay calm._ Taking a deep breath, I walked deeper inside the caves.

Once I was clear of the old miners' railway tracks, I started to jog. Soon, I came to a fork. I wasn't as familiar with the caves as Penny was, so I decided to call out to her, hoping she was close enough to hear me.

"Penny!"

My voice echoed several times, but hearing no reply from Penny, I decided to take the left tunnel, since it seemed to be used more than the right.

"Penny!" I shouted again as I ran. _She can't be too much further ahead._

Rounding a corner, I saw Penny and the children gathered together in one of the cave's rooms. I continued running towards them.

"Fireman Sam!" the children exclaimed. Clearly, they were very surprised to see me. Penny stepped forwards, and I stopped in front of her.

"Sam? What are you doing here?"

"There's a hurricane heading for Pontypandy," I explained quietly, even though I knew the children could hear me clearly. "And I need to get you all to safety before the mines flood."

"Flood?" James exclaimed, shocked.

"No, don't panic, kids," I told the children quickly. "We'll all be fine. But we need to move quite quickly."

"Okay, everyone," Penny added as I turned around to lead the way. "We need to follow Fireman Sam. Let's go."

I led the way back the way I had come, while Penny brought up the rear. As we neared the entrance, I could hear that the rain was getting heavier, and the wind was starting to increase. _It won't be long before we feel the hurricane's full force. We need to get the kids somewhere safe first, before Penny and I head back to Pontypandy._

"Look! We're nearly there!" Norman said, sounding very much relieved.

I turned to face the kids. "Now, it's going to be very stormy when we get out there. But once we get to the Mountain Activity Centre, we'll all be safe and sound."

However, just as I'd finished speaking, I heard a rumbling sound coming from overhead. Seeing some rocks falling ahead of us, I yelped. "Whoa! Stay back!"

Spinning back around, I pushed Norman back down the path to safety. Penny helped move the others away from the rockslide as well. When it had stopped, I stared at the solid wall of rocks that now blocked our path to safety.

 _Oh, great fires of London! Not again!_ Memories instantly came flooding back to mind of the last time I'd been trapped underground with Norman. He'd fallen down into an old coalmine full of poisonous methane gas. When Elvis and I had gone down to rescue him, the roof had caved in, leaving us with only five minutes of oxygen left, and no way out. Or so I'd thought. It had been the only time in my whole career that I'd actually panicked during a rescue. Luckily, Bella's old cat, Rosa, had found us, and she managed to lead us to safety, but not before I'd run out of oxygen. Elvis had done his best to help me, but he'd almost had to carry me out of that awful mine because I'd been slipping in and out of consciousness. I don't remember much of what happened after that, but apparently Elvis had radioed Station Officer Steele to have him send for an ambulance. I'd awoken in the back of an ambulance, with a medical oxygen mask over my face, and an I.V. in my arm. I was taken to the Newtown Hospital for a check-up, but luckily I managed to recover quickly, and so they'd released me just a few hours later. Norman was, quite naturally, full of remorse, but I assured him that none of what had happened had been his fault. However, from that moment on, I'd always been very wary of caves and mines.

"What happened?" Mandy asked, snapping me out of my bad memories.

"There's been a rockfall," Penny calmly explained.

"We can't get out!" James exclaimed fearfully.

"Now what are we going to do?" Sarah wondered.

I knew the kids were scared, and for once, I was frightened too. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. "Is there another way out, Penny?" I asked, but I doubted there would be. _I can't be that lucky twice!_

Penny unfolded her map of the caves. Water was now starting to pool around our feet, and I saw Mandy looking around nervously. "Er...yes!" Penny replied. "We can take the old miners' route." She looked down the right-hand path. "But we'll have to go down, before we can go up."

"Well, let's go then," I said, trying to keep my breathing under control. "Lead the way, Penny." I wanted to go at the back, so the kids wouldn't see just how afraid I really was. _I can't pass my fears onto them. They can't see me panic, or they'll panic too. I need to remain strong, for their sakes._

After we'd followed the path for a few minutes, Penny looked at her map again. "So, we just keep following the path downwards, and... Oh, no!"

Ahead of us, the path ended, leaving nothing but a pool of water. My heart sank. _We're trapped!_

"There isn't a path!" James said, stating the obvious.

"It's flooded," I added quietly.

"Well, we can't go back," Mandy pointed out. "That way's blocked."

"But we can't go forward either," Sarah said.

Penny consulted her map. "It doesn't look far to the other side." She glanced up at me. "The path just dips down, and then comes up again."

 _Hmm... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what it's like. It's our only hope right now._ I stepped over to the edge. "All of you stay here." I climbed into the water. "I'll go and check that the other side is clear."

"Be careful, Sam," Penny told me gently. I could see the concern in her eyes.

"Okay," I promised her. We locked eyes for a moment, but then I drew in the biggest breath of air my lungs could hold. Then, I pushed myself down under the water.

Turning, I used the light on my helmet to see the path. I pushed off from the wall behind me with my legs. Using breaststroke, I swam under the overhanging roof of the path. It wasn't easy, because I had to swim quite deeply to get under it without touching it, but I managed. Seconds later, I surfaced on the other side. I drew in a huge breath of air, before I examined the condition of the path. It looked fine. Smiling with relief, I drew in a smaller breath, knowing just how much air I would need to make it back. _If I can get back safely on a child-sized breath of air, they'll be fine._

"Oh!" I gasped when I resurfaced. Then, I climbed out of the water. "Oh! Now, listen everybody. If we swim under here, we can get back on the path. It's not very far."

"Really?" James asked. He still sounded very worried.

I gave my nephew a reassuring smile. I was feeling a lot calmer now. "Really. Now, you're all good swimmers. You just have to take a big, deep breath, and follow Penny through."

Penny, Sarah, Mandy and Norman climbed into the water. "Now, deep breaths, everyone," Penny instructed. The kids did as they were told, before they disappeared under the water's surface.

"Come on, James," I encouraged, knowing just how nervous he could be. "We need to go."

James wrung his hands together. "But...I'm...too scared!"

I knelt down in front of him, so I could look him in the face, and I placed my hands on his shoulders. I breathed a small sigh before I spoke. "Don't worry, James. All you have to do is, hold onto me, and we can do it together."

"Uh, okay Uncle Sam," James agreed.

I helped him climb onto my back, and he wrapped his arms and legs tightly around me. "Urgh!" I exclaimed as I stood up. _He's a lot heavier than he used to be!_ "Now, take a deep breath!" I held onto him as I entered the water. "And we'll be out in no time."

I drew in the deepest breath I could again, because I knew I'd have to swim even deeper this time, to avoid hitting James' head on the rocks. Once we were under the water, I pushed off from the wall again, swimming down, and then up again as quickly as I could.

When we surfaced, I saw Penny and the other children standing there, waiting for us. My lungs were burning now, but I knew I couldn't rest yet. We still had a long way to go.

"James!" Sarah exclaimed happily, as she ran over to hug her twin.

Mandy gasped. "The water's getting higher!"

"Right then," Penny said. "I know we're all wet, but we need to keep going."

And so, we kept walking. Before long, we came across the old mine tramway. It was rusted and broken in many places.

"The old miners' route goes this way," Penny explained as she led us along. A moment later, she kicked a stone, sending it flying over the edge of a cliff. A second later, we heard it splash into the river below. "Goodness!"

Looking ahead, I could see that our only way across the ravine ahead of us was via an old, rickety wooden bridge.

"Wow!" Norman exclaimed excitedly. "A bridge!"

I grabbed him as he started to run onto it. "Norman!" I placed him back on solid ground. "Don't do anything until we've checked that it's safe first!"

"Sorry, Fireman Sam." Then, under his breath, Norman added, "I thought I saw gold."

I rolled my eyes. Penny took a rope out of her backpack, and she handed it to me.

"I'll check it, Sam. I'm lighter than you."

I drew in a deep breath. _She's right. It'll be best if I go last. That way if the bridge does give way, everyone else will be safe._

I uncoiled the rope, and I gave one end back to her. She tied it around her waist, while I looped the other end around my own waist. Then, Penny proceeded to walk across the bridge. It creaked a little under her weight, but she made it safely to the other side.

"I'm safe!"

Between us, we pulled the rope tight. "Right," I said to the kids. "One-by-one, hold onto the rope, and walk carefully over the bridge."

Sarah stepped forward, and she bravely took hold of the rope.

"And, try not to look down," I advised, knowing just how tempting it would be for the kids to do so. _If I told them not to look down, they would do it anyway._

When Sarah was halfway across, some of the wood splintered, sending up a small cloud of dust.

"Keep going, Sarah," I told her, and she did. "That's it!"

Seconds later, Sarah made it safely to the other side.

"Now, come on, James!" Penny called. "You were brave before! Now, don't look down!"

James bravely took hold of the rope, and he started to make his way across. The bridge creaked and more dust flew up when he reached the middle. "Ahh! Oohh!" James whimpered fearfully.

"You can do it, James!" Sarah encouraged.

"Ah!" James yelped, before hurrying the rest of the way over. He and Sarah hugged each other tightly.

Then, it was Norman's turn to cross. He went a bit faster than I would've liked, but he made it safely across, so I didn't bother saying anything to him. I looked down at Mandy.

"It's your turn, Mandy," I told her.

"Okay, Sam." Mandy took hold of the rope, and she started to walk across the bridge.

"That's it!" I called. "Keep going."

Just as Mandy walked over the board that had sent up all the dust, it gave way. Hearing the board fall behind her, Mandy gasped with fear and she froze.

"Keep looking ahead, Mandy!" I told her.

"Okay, Fireman Sam," Mandy said as she continued her way over.

"Well done!"

Seconds later, Mandy also made it safely to the other side.

"Well done, Mandy," Penny praised.

"Come on, Fireman Sam!" Norman called, as I tied my end of the rope securely around my waist.

"I've got the rope, Sam," Penny said, and she pulled it tightly.

I cautiously stepped onto the bridge. It creaked ominously beneath my weight. My heart was pounding in my chest so loudly that I was sure everyone could hear it. _I can do this..._

A board gave way beneath me, and I felt the bridge supports starting to give way.

"He's too heavy!" Sarah gasped.

The supports slipped even further down, but then they stopped moving. I smiled slightly, hoping that they'd caught on a rock, or something. Just then, I heard the worst sound anyone wants to hear inside a cave. Rushing water!

Glancing back the way we'd just come, I saw floodwater coming straight towards me! _The bridge won't hold! I need to move, fast!_

I started to run, not caring about being careful anymore. But it was too late. There was a loud crash as the wood shattered, and then I felt myself falling down into the ravine...


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 11

The rope pulled tightly around my waist, winding me badly, but it also stopped my fall. I instinctively put my hands out against the wall, to spot my face from smacking into it. Once I'd stopped moving, I looked up. I'd fallen under an overhanging ledge, but I wasn't too far down into the ravine.

"I'm all right!" I called to Penny and the kids, as I found a foothold. I leaned back on the rope to asses my situation. _Okay... If I can get hold of the top of that ledge, I should be able to pull myself up._ I felt the wall in front of me for a handhold. There was nothing. The wall was as smooth as marble. Well, perhaps not quite that smooth, but you know what I mean.

"I've got you, Sam!" Penny shouted.

I felt the rope tighten, so I dug my fingertips into the rock face, searching for the smallest cracks to hold onto. Luckily, my boots had plenty of grip on them, so I was able to use them to climb.

"Come on, Sam!" I heard Penny say.

I gave a final push with my legs, which got me to the edge of the overhang. My hands gripped onto the edge of the ledge, and I grabbed hold of it, tightly. _Just one more push!_

Using my arms and legs, I managed to pull myself up onto solid ground. "Urgh!" I gasped with relief. I lay still on my stomach for a moment, while I caught my breath. _That was way too close for comfort! It'll be a long time before I venture in here again!_ I looked up at Penny, who was also looking very relieved. "You're stronger than you look, Penny!" I said.

"Oh! Uh!" Penny panted. "Well, I did have some help..." She looked back over her shoulder at the kids.

I was surprised. _They helped? Then again, why wouldn't they, after all the times I've saved their lives!_ I untied the rope from my waist.

Sarah, James, Norman and Mandy ran over to me, and they all hugged me tightly.

"Oh! I never thought that one day I would have to thank you lot for rescuing me!" I gushed gratefully. Then I chuckled at the irony of it all.

Penny packed up the rope. "We'd better get going," she said softly, but seriously.

I nodded in agreement. _Yes, we're still not out of danger yet._ "Come on. We need to get back." I took one last glance over my shoulder at the ravine that had so very nearly become my grave. "Pontypandy needs us." _I hope Elvis, Arnold and Ellie are coping okay without us._

As we continued walking through the caves, the water started to rise around our feet. It was concerning, but I didn't want to frighten the kids anymore, so I said nothing.

"Are we going to be out soon?" James asked me, glancing back over his shoulder.

Before I had a chance to reply, Norman spoke. "I hope so. The water is nearly up to my pants!"

"We'll be out in no time," I reassured them. I sounded far more confident than I felt. "Don't worry."

Penny folded up her map. "Just round this corner, there should be an exit."

 _Should be? I don't like the sound of that..._

We entered another room. This one had already started to flood. Sarah pointed upwards.

"There's the way out!"

I looked up too. Sure enough, I could see daylight, but there was no obvious way to get up onto the ledge, and it was much too high to climb up to without a ladder.

"But how do we get up there?" Mandy wondered.

Penny consulted her map. "Well, there should be a wooden walkway."

"Uh, where is it?" James asked.

Sarah stepped closer to the wall. Her helmet light revealed the remains of the wooden walkway. My heart sank. Again.

"Looks like all the wood has rotted," I said sadly. _Now, we'll never get out of here! Oh! Stop thinking so negatively, Sam! There must be another way to get up to that ledge..._

"It's filling up with water in here!" Norman complained.

 _The kids are starting to panic. Right. I need stop worrying about my own fears, and focus on doing my job._ "It's all right. Keep calm, everyone." _That goes for me as well!_ "We need to find a way to make a ladder."

"With what?" Sarah wondered.

"That train track looks like a ladder," James said, pointing to some of the old tramway track.

I ran over to it to inspect it. "You're right! Well done, James! That's our ladder!" Feeling optimistic again, I knelt down to try and pick it up. I grunted with the effort. _It's a lot heavier than I imagined, even for light rail... Hang on a minute! The sleepers have been bolted down to the ground. I suppose with all the flooding they got in here, they had to do that to stop of being washed away._ "We need something to loosen these bolts," I explained to the others.

"There's an old tool box," Norman said, pointing across the room. "Over there!"

Penny went and fetched it. "There is, Norman! An old miner's tool box!" She took out a rusty old spanner.

 _That'll do nicely!_

Penny handed over the spanner to me, and I set about unbolting the sleepers. The bolts loosened fairly easily. "It should move now," I told Penny as I stood up. I tossed the spanner aside. "You take the other end, Penny."

Working together, Penny and I managed to lift the track off the ground, and we propped it up against the wooden platform overhead.

"Come on then!" Penny told the children as they started climbing the 'ladder'. "Fast as you can!"

 _Mandy, James, Sarah..._

"Oh! Where's Norman?" Penny asked with an air of annoyance.

"He was behind me just now," Mandy said from the platform above us.

Penny and I looked around. Even with our helmet lights, it was hard to see more than a few metres ahead of us. Then, I saw him. He had wandered off down into one of the tunnels. _Oh, Norman! What on earth do you think you're doing?_ I walked over to where he was standing, looking at something. I placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Norman jumped.

"Oh!"

As he turned around, I picked him up off the ground. "You're coming with me, Norman Price!" I told him firmly as I swung him over my right-hand shoulder, just like a plank of wood.

"Oh, nooooo!" Norman wailed. But I ignored him. _We don't have time for you to have a tantrum, Norman!_ Hearing more water swirling behind me, I started to run.

"Come on, Sam!" Penny urged.

As soon as I reached the ladder, I set Norman down on it. He promptly climbed the rest of the way up, followed quickly by Penny. I went last. The water was up to my knees by now, but seeing a swirling wall of water pouring down the tunnel, I climbed the 'ladder' faster than any ladder I've ever climbed before! As soon as I reached the platform, I rolled onto it, so that I was lying on my back. Seconds later, the force of the torrent of water washed the 'ladder' away.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. _That was too close for comfort... Again! How many more brushes with death am I going to have before this is all over?_ After I'd caught my breath, I stood up, and I went over to where Penny and the kids were waiting. The kids hugged me again, while Penny patted my shoulder. She didn't look at me, but I could see the relief in her face. We then continued walking down the path.

 _Goodness! I'm exhausted! But I can't stop now. We need to get the kids safely to the Mountain Activity Centre, and then I need to get Penny and myself back down to Pontypandy._

Moments later, we emerged outside, only to be greeted by driving rain and a gale force wind. We all raised our arms to shield our faces from the wind.

"Oh, dear!" Penny exclaimed. "This is serious, Sam."

 _No kidding! And it's gotten worse..._ "I know, Penny." I turned to face the kids. "Okay, everyone! Now, keep your helmets on! There's a lot blowing about out here." I sent the kids on ahead. "We need to get to the Mountain Activity Centre."

"I wonder how they're doing in Pontypandy?" Penny said.

"I'm sure Elvis and the team are doing fine, but we need to get back there as soon as we can."

Together, our little group battled through the wind and rain towards the Mountain Activity Centre. It wasn't that far away, but the weather conditions made the short journey seem a lot longer. Lightning flashed overhead just as I saw the Mountain Activity Centre ahead of us. I beckoned for the others to hurry up.

When we finally reached the Mountain Activity Centre, I opened the door to let the children inside first.

"I'm telling you, I had gold in my hands!" Norman said as we all entered the building.

"You're making things up again, Norman," Mandy retorted.

 _I think I'll stay out of this one. I have more important things to worry about than Norman claiming to have found a bit of gold._

Moose and Tom came over to us.

 _Well, at least they're safe!_

"What the Grizzlies!" Moose exclaimed.

"Tom! Moose! So glad to see you!" I said as I removed my helmet.

"Cor! You guys are soaked!" Tom exclaimed. "Do you want some coco?"

"Yes, please! Yay!" the children replied in unison.

"Not as much as gold!" Norman grumbled.

 _Great idea, Tom! Give the kids something nice to drink, and then they won't be frightened anymore._

"Penny and I need to get back to Pontypandy," I told Tom and Moose. Then I looked down at the kids. "Listen, kids. You stay here with Moose and Tom till the storm clears."

"What about our mums and dads?" Mandy asked with concern.

"They'll be fine," Penny reassured her, and she knelt down to Mandy's height. "But we need to let them know that you're okay. It's too dangerous for you to go out in this at the moment."

I went over to Moose's radio, and I removed the handset. _Time to let Station Officer Steele know what's going on. He's probably worried sick about us by now!_ "Come in, Station Officer Steele. Over."

All I received back was static, so I tried the Pontypandy fire service channel. "Station Officer Steele. Come in. Station Officer Steele. Can you hear me?"

" _Fireman Sam?_ "

I smiled when I heard his familiar voice. "I'm with Penny and the children. They're all safe, and I'll bring Penny back down on Bessie."

" _Sorry, Sam, you can't. Gareth saw a pylon blown across the line. There's no way down by rail. Repeat. There is no way down by rail._ "

"Okay, sir. Understood. Out." With a heavy sigh, I put the handset back on its hook.

"Now what are we going to do?" Penny wondered.

"I don't know," I told her honestly. "We have to find a way down, somehow..."

"I know how you can get down," Moose said. We turned to face him. Smiling, he held up a set of keys.

"What are they, Moose?" Penny asked.

"The keys to the Natter Jat Toad!"

"He means the duck-billed platypus," Tom interjected.

Confused, Penny and I glanced at each other. _Once again, I have no idea what they're talking about!_

"The what?" Penny and I asked together.

"The amphibious vehicle!" Tom and Moose replied in unison.

 **Thank you so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming! However, I must (again) make it very clear that I will NOT be putting Sam and Penny together in a relationship. They're not in a relationship in the series, and so I will not be putting them in a relationship in my stories. I have my reasons why, so if you want to know, feel free to PM me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 12

Outside, Penny and I waited in pouring rain and wind, while Moose brought his amphibious vehicle around to us.

"Careful," Moose warned as he climbed down. "She's a bit hard to handle, Sam."

I climbed into the driver's seat, while Penny got in behind me. Being an open vehicle, we wouldn't have much protection from the rain, but at least we'd be able to get through almost anything with it. I looked at the controls. Moose was right about it being difficult – for most people. _He doesn't know that I learned how to drive a vehicle like this during my basic training many years ago. Let's see now... Both joysticks forward...and we're off!_

I set off driving down the mountain, following one of the trails. I could've taken a more direct route to Pontypandy, but in this weather, I knew it would be much safer to stay on familiar paths. _Oh, goodness! I'm so tired! Stay focussed, Sam. Just stay focussed. I'm really looking forward to a rest once we get back to the fire station._

Soon, we came to the stream. Actually, it was more like a river now, so I drove the amphibious vehicle straight into it. _The current should help push us downstream a lot faster._

And it did. Before long, I drove out of the raging torrent, and I headed straight into Pontypandy. As I'd expected, the lower areas downtown were flooded, but not quite as badly as I'd imagined they would be. _Either the hurricane hasn't been as bad here, or the water level is beginning to recede._

As we got closer to the centre of town, I saw a familiar red vehicle parked off to one side of the road ahead of us. _That's Jupiter! It looks like she's been abandoned! But Elvis wouldn't just abandon Jupiter for no good reason..._ I glanced back at Penny. From the expression on her face, she was thinking exactly the same thing. Then we saw the tree that had fallen over, blocking most of the road. _Ah! Now I understand. But why didn't Elvis just reverse Jupiter and go around a different way_ _? That's what I would've done. Oh well. We'll have to deal with that later. Right now, we need to get back to the fire station._ I drove the amphibious vehicle straight under the fallen tree. _Not far to go now..._

A few minutes later, I drove up the driveway to the fire station. Seeing Venus parked off to the left, I drove over there, and I parked behind her. Then, I saw that the building site office was on fire. _Oh, Great Fires of London! No rest for the weary..._

Penny and I jumped down from the amphibious vehicle. Elvis and Arnold were battling the fire with just Venus' hose and a fire extinguisher. I quickly assessed the situation. "We need to cool off those gas canisters and get that fire out!" I told Penny.

"We're going to need a lot of water, and fast!" Penny added.

"But where can we get if from without Jupiter?" Elvis wondered.

I thought fast. _The external hydrants are connected to the water mains. We just need extra long hoses…_ "Maybe our new fire station can save the day?" I said aloud. _The training hoses! Of course!_ "I bet those training hoses will reach from the extra mains outlets!" I started to run. "Er, keep spraying the gas canisters, Elvis! I'll be back as soon as I can!"

I ran inside the garage, and over to the locker containing our new training equipment. After I'd removed my potholing helmet, I grabbed the hoses, and the nozzles before running back outside again. Carrying the equipment, I ran over to the external hydrants, and I connected up the two hoses. Once they were connected to the outlets, I sent both hoses unrolling down the length of the building. I was glad to see that I'd been right. They were just long enough! After I'd picked up the nozzles, I ran with them down to where the fire was. I tossed one of the nozzles to Penny, while Arnold handed me my firefighting helmet.

"I'll turn them one!" Arnold said as he hurried away towards the external outlets.

Penny and I secured the nozzles to the hoses. As soon as I felt my hose inflate with water, I started spraying the fire. Penny did the same. _Right. Time to reassess the situation… Venus can't have too much water left in her tank…_

"Penny? You keep the gas canisters cool," I instructed. "Elvis and I will fight the fire."

"Rodger that, Sam!" Penny said, and she began to move closer to the gas canisters. Elvis came over to me. _Good. That way, if Venus does run out of water, we'll still be able to keep the gas canisters cool._

Through the driving rain, I could see that we were now starting to get the fire under control. I kept my hose aimed low, focusing the water on the fire's fuel source. Finally, I saw it starting to go out.

Moments later, the fire was completely extinguished. After I'd turned my hose off and put it down on the ground, I raised my visor to wipe some dripping rainwater away from my right eye. "Ah! Whew!"

Behind me, I heard the townsfolk cheer and applaud. Then, I noticed something else. _The rain's easing._ I held out my hand, just to be sure.

"The rain!" Penny exclaimed. "It's going!" She was still hosing off the gas canisters, keeping them nice and cool, because the danger still wasn't over yet.

"And the wind has almost stopped," Elvis observed.

I removed my firefighting helmet. "And Pontypandy survived the hurricane!"

Station Officer Steel came over to me, and he proudly placed a hand on my shoulder. "Thanks to the new fire station!"

"It's the best fire station in the world!" Elvis said, as Penny finally stopped straying the gas canisters. She put her hose down.

The townsfolk gathered around us to express their gratitude. But all I wanted to do was rest, so I tried to push my way through the crowd. However, they weren't keen to let me go. Finally, Station Officer Steele intervened.

"Why don't we all go back upstairs and get dried off again? It'll be a while before most of you will be able to return to your homes, so we might as well be comfortable."

Luckily, everyone agreed with that plan, so we all headed inside. This time, I managed to sneak away to my locker, where I knew I had some dry, casual clothes. Once I'd collected them from my locker, I headed into the change rooms and showers.

 _Oh, blast! I forgot to roll up the hoses... But I'm so tired..._ Seeing the bed inside the small sick bay, I decided to lie down on it for five minutes. _The shower can wait,_ I thought as I lay down on the comfortable bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.

...

The sound of a door opening roused me sometime later. Hearing voices, I pretended to still be asleep.

"Ah! Here he is!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed. Then he lowered his voice. "Oh dear. He's asleep."

"I'm not surprised, considering he nearly died twice today," Penny whispered. "He's still in his wet clothes! We need to wake him up and get him dried off before he catches a cold."

I felt Station Officer Steele gently place a hand on my forehead. "I think we might be too late, Penny. He feels slightly feverish."

"I'll go and get Nurse Flood, and some blankets."

"And get Elvis to make up some honey and lemon tea too," Station Officer Steele added. "Nothing cures a cold better than honey and lemon."

Not wanting to be nursed, I deliberately stirred, and I opened my eyes. "What's going on?"

"Don't try to get up, Sam," Station Officer Steele told me firmly. "You have a slight fever now, because you didn't get dried off as soon as you could."

"I was exhausted," I muttered sleepily. "And when I saw this bed, I decided to take a five minute nap."

"You've been asleep for at least two hours, Sam."

"Oh."

Penny returned then, with Helen. I sat up.

"I'm fine, Helen," I insisted. "I just need to have a good night's sleep."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Helen said as she set her medical bag down on the bench behind me.

 _I knew it! They're all going to make a big fuss over me, but I'll be fine if they just let me sleep._

Helen placed something cold against my ear, and I flinched. "Hey!"

"Hold still, Sam!" Helen scolded me. "I just need to take your temperature."

"We also need to get him out of his wet clothes," Penny added.

"Penny? Why don't you go and get Charlie?"

Penny reluctantly left the room. I tried to keep still while Helen took my temperature with the ear thermometer, but it wasn't easy. Finally, Helen managed to get a reading.

"Honestly, Sam! You're about as restless as your niece and nephew, when they're sick!" Helen admonished as she read the thermometer.

"That's not funny," I muttered despondently.

"What is his temperature?" Station Officer Steele wondered.

"Slightly above normal," Helen replied. "I wouldn't be too concerned about him yet, but we do need to get him warm, dry and rested."

With a tired moan, I lay back down on the bed. _Just let me sleep, please! We can worry about everything else later..._

Charlie entered the sick bay, followed by Penny. My brother shook his head as soon as he saw me. "Honestly, Sam! How many times do I have to tell you to make sure you look after yourself? Come on. Let's get you into the shower, and then you can rest." He looked around at everyone else. "You can all go now. I'll take care of Sam."

Half an hour later, having had a hot shower and changed into my casual clothes, I followed Charlie upstairs. The shower had woken me up a bit, and I was feeling quite refreshed. When we entered the Main Room, I saw the children playing a game of 'snap' in the middle of the floor, while the adults were standing in small groups, or sitting at the table, talking, drinking tea and munching on biscuits. _Tom must've brought the children down from the mountain in the 4x4, while I was asleep_. I thought as I looked around. All of us firefighters had changed into dry casual clothes, except for Station Officer Steele, who'd changed into his dry firefighting uniform. Elvis handed me a cup of honey and lemon tea.

"Here you go, Sam! I hope you're feeling better?"

"I am, thanks Elvis," I replied. I took a sip of my herbal tea, before going over to Station Officer Steele.

"Ah! Sam. How are you feeling now?"

"Much better, sir."

"Good! Well, I've decided to keep everyone here overnight, and then first thing tomorrow morning, we'll go and assess the situation downtown."

"We still have to retrieve Jupiter, sir," I reminded him.

"Oh, yes! I forgot. Sam, you'd better go and fetch her in Venus. Take Arnold with you. But be careful."

"Yes, sir." I raised my voice a little, because of the din caused by everyone talking at once. "Arnold?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"We need to go and collect Jupiter. Let's go!"

I knew everyone was watching us by now, including Helen, so I decided to take the fast way downstairs – down the fireman's pole. Arnold followed me. When I reached the bottom, I looked up to see Helen glaring down at me through the hole.

"You won't get away from me that easily, Fireman Sam! I'll be checking up on you again as soon as you get back!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I muttered as I jogged over towards Venus. Arnold jumped into the passenger seat, while I got into the driver's seat. Then, I drove out of the fire station without putting on the siren. There was no need for it.

When we reached Jupiter, I saw that her lights had gone out. _Uh, oh! They were flashing before. I should've stopped to turn them off before. Then again, Elvis should have turned her off completely when he chose to abandon her._

"I think her battery has died," I told Arnold as we got out. "I'll see if I can start her up, but get the jump leads ready in case. They're in her small right-hand locker."

"Okay, Sam."

I climbed into Jupiter's cab, and I turned the key. Nothing happened. _Great! Nice one, Elvis._ I jumped down from the cab, and Arnold handed over the jump leads. "I'll connect this end to Jupiter's battery. Can you connect the other end to Venus' battery, please?"

"Sure, Sam."

After about five attempts, Jupiter's battery had charged up enough for me to start her up. Arnold was just packing up the jump leads, when Station Officer Steele radioed me.

" _Sam? What's taking you so long?_ "

"Jupiter's battery was dead, sir. We've just managed to jump start her, and we're about to make our way back now."

" _Okay, Sam. I think there's a spare battery for Jupiter in the mechanics store room. You and Penny can install it when you get back. Out._ "

Sure enough, Penny was waiting for us by the time we arrived back at the station with Jupiter and Venus. We immediately got to work fitting the new battery to Jupiter. We were halfway through fitting it, when I heard Helen's voice.

"Arnold? Where's Fireman Sam?"

"Installing a new battery in Jupiter. I think he's trying to hide from you though."

I accidentally dropped my screwdriver. Helen came over to us, and she bent down to look underneath Jupiter.

"Oh, my! That looks crammed."

"Tell us something we don't know!" Penny said with a small chuckle beside me. "Unfortunately, this is the only way we can access Jupiter's engine."

I retrieved the screwdriver. "Can you pass me that bag of screws please, Penny?"

Penny handed it over. I took one screw out, and I immediately dropped it. "Drat it! Why do these screws have to do so tiny?"

"I can finish this, Sam," Penny offered. "Helen's waiting for you."

"You really know how to ruin my evening, don't you, Penny?"

"All's fair in love and firefighting. Go on, Sam. The sooner you let Helen look after you, the sooner you can get some sleep."

"Oh, all right then," I grumbled as I rolled out from underneath Jupiter on the workshop crawler. _I suppose I can't argue with that!_

 **Here's a nice, long chapter for you all to enjoy, considering I didn't get time to finish off the chapter yesterday. Please, remember that I'm currently doing 10-14 hours a day of volunteer work at a heritage steam railway, and so I may not be able to update every single night/day like I have been. At least tomorrow I finally get to go out on Fire Patrol! Yay! I just hope I don't have to put out any real fires, lol, but I'm fully prepared if I need to. For those who don't know what a fire patrol is on a railway, we follow along 5 minutes behind the trains in a rail trolley, just in case their sparks set fire to the dry summer grass. Basically, we're the first responders before the real fire service arrives. I love being rostered on fire patrol, because I can completely understand why Sam loves being a fireman, lol!**

 **In response to 'Guest's' review:**

 **\- I have corrected that mistake, thank you. Because I'm away from home, I'm currently working from a digital copy of my DVD, so I can't access the subtitles to check how words are spelt. I'm also not very familiar with the Canadian accent, so I just took a wild guess at the spelling. Sorry I got it wrong.**

 **\- Secondly, I have seen in the subtitles on the original Fireman Sam series that Elvis' surname is spelt with two 'd's', so that's what I'm sticking to. The double 'd' spelling is actually correct, because in Welsh (which is the language Fireman Sam was originally written in), the letter 'dd' is pronounced as 'th', so in Welsh, Criddlington's surname is phonetically pronounced as 'Crith-ling-ton'. I'm currently learning Welsh, and if you listen to the Welsh version of Fireman Sam, that is how his name is pronounced. They've probably changed the spelling for the CGI series' because they're written in English first, and then translated into Welsh, but personally I prefer it spelt with two 'd's'. It doesn't really matter either way, since in English, it's still pronounced the same.**

 **\- And thirdly, I haven't really had much motivation to finish my Thomas FanFiction stories, sorry. I've been busy preparing a children's books series (about a steam engine) for publication, and so far that's been taking up most of my time, as well as writing these stories. I'll find out at the end of this month if the my book series will be published. I have to admit that I was starting to get burned out with my other FanFiction stories, which is why I decided to try writing something completely different. Hence why I'm now writing Fireman Sam FanFiction.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 13

"Will I live then, Helen?" I asked good-naturedly, as she packed away her medical supplies. She chuckled kindly.

"Yes, I'm sure you will."

"That's surprising, considering the number of times I nearly died today, rescuing Penny and the kids."

Helen placed a hand on my shoulder. "You do need plenty of rest though. I've never seen you so worn out! Well, perhaps I have, but you do need to take better care of yourself, Sam."

"I know, and I will. Thanks Helen."

"I think I'll check your temperature again in the morning, but it's already coming back down to normal, so I'm sure you won't get sick this time. I will be keeping a close eye on you though."

 _I was afraid of that._

"Sam?" Station Officer Steele called from the garage. Before Helen could protest, I hurried out of the sick bay.

"Yes, sir?"

"Ah! There you are. I've decided that for the safety of everyone, the townsfolk will sleep here tonight. We can let them return to their homes tomorrow, after we're sure the floodwaters have receded."

"Understood, sir."

"But where will we all sleep?" Helen wondered, coming up behind me.

"Don't worry, Helen," I gently reassured her. "We have plenty of emergency supplies here, including sleeping bags and blankets for everyone. I'll go upstairs and let everyone know what's happening."

At that moment, I heard Penny start up Jupiter, to ensure that the new battery was working. I smiled as I walked upstairs. _At least that's one problem solved._

Upstairs, the Main Room was in absolute chaos. Sarah, James, Mandy and Hannah were playing a game of tag, while Mike, Joe, Trevor and Elvis performed some karaoke for the other adults to enjoy. _Well, that's everyone accounted for, but where's Norman?_

I scowled when I saw Norman sitting at my computer, trying to figure out my password. I went straight over to him, and I tapped him on the shoulder. "And just what do you think you're doing, Norman Price?"

Norman jumped. "Argh! Fireman Sam! I just wanted to play some computer games, that's all!"

"I don't have any computer games on my computer, Norman," I told him as he quickly got out of the chair. "This computer is for work only, and if I ever catch you at it again..."

"Sorry, Fireman Sam!" Norman apologised. "I didn't know it was your computer!"

Hearing the current karaoke song finish, I clapped my hands together. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" As soon as I had everyone looking at me, I continued. "Due to the flooding, Station Officer Steele has decided that it won't be safe for you to return to your homes tonight. I'm sorry, but you'll have to spend the night here. We have enough sleeping bags and blankets for everyone, so you should be quite comfortable, even though you'll have to sleep on the floor."

"I bags the sofa!" Norman shouted as he ran over to it.

"That's not fair, Norman!" Mandy said. "If anyone should have the sofa, it should be Hannah. That way, she'll be able to get in and out of her chair without help."

Smiling, I placed a hand on Mandy's shoulder. "That's very kind of you, Mandy. I also agree that Hannah should have the sofa. I'm sure the rest of you will be quite comfortable on the floor."

"Well, I suppose it's better than nothing," Dilys sighed tiredly. "Thank you, Fireman Sam."

I nodded. "Elvis? Can you go downstairs and help Penny, Arnold and Ellie with the sleeping bags and blankets please?"

"Roger that, Sam!"

Elvis ran over to the nearest fireman's pole, and he slid down it. I was about to follow him, when Charlie tapped me on the shoulder.

"Sam? What about you and the other firefighters?"

"Station Officer Steele hasn't said anything about us yet, but I imagine we'll be sleeping here too," I replied. Then, I grabbed hold of the pole, and I slid down it.

About an hour later, everyone had found somewhere to sleep, and they were beginning to settle down to sleep. I turned off the lights in the Main Room, before going downstairs to the Control Room, where it had been decided that my colleagues and I were going to sleep.

"The townsfolk have settled for the night," I reported to Station Officer Steele.

"Excellent, Sam! Well, now it's our turn to go to bed."

I unrolled my sleeping bag in the corner opposite Station Officer Steele's desk, alongside the Map Screen-700 console. Station Officer Steele unrolled his sleeping bag behind his desk, opposite me. The others spread themselves out around the Control Room. Almost as soon as I'd crawled into my sleeping bag, I drifted off into a very deep sleep.

...

 _Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep!_

"Argh! What is that noise?" Penny muttered sleepily, but with an air of annoyance.

"Sorry everyone," Arnold replied sheepishly. "It's the alarm on my watch." He turned it off. "I must've forgotten to turn it off before I fell asleep."

Groaning, I pulled my blanket up around my shoulders. "What's the time?"

"Six-thirty," Arnold replied. "I always have my alarm set for that time. Sorry for waking you all."

"Guess we'd all better get up anyway then," Ellie said with a tired sigh. "Um, who was snoring?"

"I think it was Station Officer Steele," Elvis whispered.

I opened my eyes a slit. I was inside the Control Room, along with my colleagues. Slowly, the memories of yesterday and last night came drifting back to me. With a tired groan, I closed my eyes again.

Something thumped loudly overheard, waking Station Officer Steele, who'd been the only one of us still sleeping after Arnold's alarm had gone off.

"Wha-! What-what was that?" he exclaimed as he sat up.

"NORMAN PRICE!" Dilys shouted somewhere upstairs.

"It wasn't me, mum!"

I sighed sleepily. "I think that answers that question..." I lay still, hoping to snatch another forty winks. Then, a mobile phone rang. It was Station Officer Steele's.

"Yes? Who is it? Oh! Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Yes, sir. I'm sorry... Yes, we're all fine here. No major injuries or accidents to report, and everyone is safe. I'm going to send a team out to assess the town for damage as soon as they're ready. Everyone's still waking up. I'll get back to you as soon as I know. Thank you, sir." Station Officer Steele hung up his phone.

"Guess this definitely means none of us will be going back to sleep now," Penny said as she crawled out of her sleeping bag.

 _Guess again_. I forced myself to relax as I tried to go back to sleep. Around me, the others started rolling up their sleeping bags.

"Well, that was an interesting team-building exercise," Station Officer Steele said brightly. "I trust we all had a good night's sleep?"

"Not exactly, sir," Ellie replied. "Someone was snoring loudly."

"Oh, dear! I wonder who that could have been?"

"Well, if you didn't hear it, sir, there's only one person it could have been," Arnold reasoned.

"I wonder if our uniforms are dry yet?" Elvis said, quickly changing the subject.

"They should be," Penny replied. "I hung them up in the shower with the fan on."

"I'll go and check," Arnold offered, and I heard him leave the room.

"Sam?" Ellie called softly. "Aren't you going to get up?"

"Leave him be, Ellie," Penny told her. "Helen said he needs to get a lot of sleep, because he has a slight fever."

 _I do not!_ "I'm fine, Penny!" I muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.

Penny knelt down beside me, and she gently placed her hand on my forehead. "You still feel a little feverish to me, Sam. If you don't believe me, I'll go and fetch Helen."

I promptly pulled my blanket over my head.

"I'll take that as a 'no, you don't believe me' then," Penny added, and she stood up.

Another thump sounded overhead, followed by running footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh! That's it, Mandy!" Norman shouted. "Come back here, now!"

"Huh! You'll have to catch me first, Norman!"

Station Officer Steele stormed over to the open doorway. "Will you two kindly keep it down? And get back upstairs! You know the fire station is not a playground!"

"Sorry, Station Officer Steele," Mandy and Norman said in unison, and they reluctantly headed back towards the stairs.

"Mandy?" Penny called. "Could you please ask your mother to come down here?"

"Of course, Penny," Mandy replied.

"Thank you."

I sat up. "I don't need Helen, Penny," I told her firmly, just as Arnold returned.

"Yes, our uniforms are dry."

"Thank goodness!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed with relief. And he hurried downstairs to get changed.

I had just finished rolling up my sleeping bag, when Helen entered the Control Room.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Morning, Helen," the others replied.

Helen came over to me. "And how are you feeling this morning, Sam?"

"Better," I replied bluntly. "Penny's just being overly-concerned for me."

Penny folded her arms across her chest. "For good reason, Sam. You're brilliant at looking after others, but not yourself."

 _Point taken, Penny_. "Go ahead and examine me, Helen, but I can assure you that I am feeling much better now. A slightly longer sleep would have been nice, but Arnold's alarm woke us all up."

"I said I was sorry!" Arnold said.

"Better Arnold's alarm than Norman Price shouting in his sleep all night," Helen added.

"Why was he shouting?" Penny wondered as Helen opened her medical bag.

"We think he was having a nightmare. And now Mandy's teasing him about it. Okay, Sam. I'll just take your temperature again. Now, hold still this time, please."

Helen gently took my temperature again with the ear thermometer. This time, I managed to keep still enough to keep her happy. She smiled when she read the reading.

"Well, your temperature is back to normal now, Sam, so I'm happy for you to go back on duty."

 _I was never off duty anyway_. "Thanks, Helen."

"Wonderful news!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed. "Okay, firefighters! Get yourselves organised and freshened up. We have a very busy day ahead of us!"

After I'd changed into my dry firefighting uniform, I joined everyone upstairs for breakfast cooked by Bronwyn and Lizzie, which I must say tasted better than anything Elvis ever cooked for us. Afterwards, I met with Station Officer Steele inside the Control Room, to figure out how we'd asses the town after the flooding. Using the Map Screen-700, I came up with a plan.

"I'm afraid Mercury is still at the railway station, sir," I told Station Officer Steele. "So, I'll take Ellie and Elvis in Jupiter, and Penny and Arnold can go in Venus. We'll check downtown where the worst of the flooding was, and Penny and Arnold can check the coastal road and the beaches for erosion. Arnold can also collect Mercury for me."

"Excellent, Sam!" Station Officer Steele agreed. "And I'll monitor things from here."

"I'd also recommend keeping everyone inside for now, sir," I added. "It's too dangerous to have everyone wandering off, trying to get home. We don't have time to go rescuing people unnecessarily."

Station Officer Steele nodded in agreement. "I'll make a point of that, Sam. You can get the team going as soon as you're ready."

I picked up the microphone. "All firefighters report for duty now!" Then I pressed the alarm button to ensure they knew that this wasn't a drill. After that, I made my way downstairs.

Elvis, Penny, Arnold and Ellie were already downstairs by the time I arrived. "We're going to assess the town for flood damage," I explained as I put on my helmet. The others followed my lead. "Penny and Arnold? You can take Venus and check the coastal road and beaches for signs of erosion. Arnold? I'll also need you to bring Mercury back for me, please. I left her in the shed at the railway station. Elvis and Ellie? You're coming with me to check downtown for flood damage. Make sure you stay in radio contact."

"Roger that, Sam!" my colleagues said, and we all dashed away to perform our assigned tasks.

...

Two days later, Pontypandy had been cleaned up after all the flooding, and we'd allowed everyone to return safely to their homes. It had been a big effort to tidy up the roads and other important services, but everyone was very grateful once we'd finished. During that time, I also returned the amphibious vehicle to Moose. He was delighted to know that it had served us well during the hurricane.

After I'd helped the others tidy up the fire station, Station Officer Steele sent for me. "Sam? I have one last task for you to do this morning, before you have your lunch."

"Yes, sir?"

He handed me the fire station's flag, which had been washed and ironed after the hurricane. Knowing exactly what he wanted me to do with it, I carried it out onto the balcony. I carefully unfolded it, and I attached it to the rope. Then, I respectfully raised the flag to the full height of the flagpole. Once I'd secured it, I headed back inside the fire station.

 _Right! Time to check up on Ellie and Arnold, to see if they've put the fire hoses away like I asked them to._

Downstairs in the garage, I saw Penny washing Venus, and Elvis replacing Jupiter's fire extinguishers. Station Officer Steele was heading over to his locker. _He looks quite satisfied with himself, so I guess his phone call to HQ this morning went well. Pontypandy is safe, everyone has now been able to return home, and the new fire station proved its worth. I guess HQ can't be upset about that!_ I gave Mercury a fond pat as I walked past her. _I'm glad to have her back safely too._

Outside, I found Ellie and Arnold just putting away the training hoses. Unlike our regular fire hoses, we had to let the training hoses dry out properly before they could be put away. Otherwise, they could go mouldy inside, due to their limited use, so that is why we were only getting around to putting them away now.

Just as I was about to ask Ellie and Arnold if they wanted a hand, I heard tyres squealing behind me. Turning, I saw Moose drive his amphibious vehicle into the yard. I was surprised to see that he'd repainted it in fire engine red.

"Moose! You've painted your, um...Natter Jat Platypus!" I said as he climbed down. _Or whatever it is they called it..._

"Yeah," Moose replied, and he patted the vehicle. "I'm giving her to you, Sam."

 _What? But why?_

"That's very generous of you!" Station Officer Steele said, as he came over to us.

"Are you sure, Moose?" Penny added.

"Course! I think I prefer to hike around the forest, eh."

 _Oh, I see! He can't handle the amphibious vehicle himself, but he knows I can! Haha!_ "Then, thank you, Moose!"

"You'll need a new name for it, though," Moose said thoughtfully.

"What about, Hydrus?" Arnold suggested behind me. I turned to look at him, along with everyone else. "It's a group of stars, and it means water-snake."

I smiled. _Perfect name, Arnold!_

"That's brilliant!" Elvis agreed, over-enthusiastically. "I love it! What a clever idea!" He leaned closer to me. "I don't understand a single thing he said, Sam."

I patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Elvis. I'll explain it to you later."

"Well, that's settled then," Station Officer Steele said. "Hydrus it is! Right! Back to work, everyone."

As everyone separated, I went over to Moose, and he handed me to keys to Hydrus. "Thank you, Moose."

"You're welcome, Sam. Take good care of her."

"I will," I promised. I then went over to where Elvis was standing, just inside the garage door.

"You know, I like the new fire station even more than the old one," Elvis told me.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "So do I, Elvis," I agreed. "So do I."

"Criddlington?" Station Officer Steele called. "How about a nice cup of tea?"

"Coming, sir!"

Once they were out of the way, I climbed into Hydrus, and I reversed her inside the fifth garage bay.

 _Welcome to the team, Hydrus!_

THE END


End file.
